McEnroe threw his racket once, complained about two calls and was issued a warning for a code violation last night in the tie-breaker that takes the place of the third set on the senior tour.

Having split the first two sets 6-4, 4-6, McEnroe rallied from 9-7 down in the tie-breaker to win 11-9 when Wilander hit a forehand into the net.

``I never won anything in Washington,'' said McEnroe, who used to play in the Legg Mason ATP event at the same stadium.

``I never thought I would get a chance to do it. Thank God the senior tour came along.''

It was McEnroe's 16th seniors title and his first this year. He was routed by Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-2 two weeks ago in the final in Richmond, Virginia. Connors pulled out of this tournament in the quarterfinals when he tore an abdominal muscle.

McEnroe lost only four points on his serve in the first setbefore Wilander found a rhythm on his returns and then started hustling down McEnroe's corner shots.

``I actually felt a few years younger out there today,'' the 34-year-old Swede said.

``It was a good match because I played well. I realised that John plays well pretty much all the time.''