Kafelnikov is Kremlin Cup king

Kafelnikov successfully defended his Moscow title

Top seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov overcame a resilient Nicolas Kiefer of Germany to win his fifth consecutive Kremlin Cup on Sunday.

The Russian took one hour and 43 minutes to beat his unseeded opponent 6-4 7-5.

The local favourite has now won his last 25 matches in Moscow since losing to Croatian Goran Ivanisevic in the 1996 final.

It was only Kiefer's second Kremlin Cup after losing in the first round in 1997.

Kafelnikov comfortably clinched the first set in 43 minutes, but struggled to move clear of the 24-year-old in the second.

The German saved two match points on his serve in the 10th game of the second set.

But 27-year-old Kafelnikov eventually found the break he needed on his third attempt with a running forehand down the line to claim victory at the $1m ATP event.