SERENA WILLIAMS defeated Marion Bartoli in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1, in the finals of Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University. The victory cannot be compared to a major grand slam but it was a very important victory for her as it was her first win after her comeback from injury. The last tournament that she won was Wimbledon 2010.

There were serious doubts about her comeback as she had suffered some major blood clot in her lungs along with operations in her foot. But, she showed the world that she has not lost her touch, as she had previously defeated Maria Sharapova in the quarter finals of this competition too.

 In her match against Marion Bartoli, she looked in good touch to walk away as the champion of the tournament. She had a first tough set as she clinched it 7-5, but the second set proved to be a better one for Serena as Bartoli could only win one set as Serena finished the match 6-1 in the second set. As usual, she raised her arms after the victory. The trophy meant a lot to her.

It must have been a pleasing sight for Serena as she was cheered by the crowd every time she scored a point against her opponent. She has always been a favourite of the crowd in most of the competition that she participates in. This time too, it was no different. This victory would be a great confidence booster to Serena for the next Grand Slam, the US Open, which starts later this month.