Former world tennis numberone Serena Williams surged past Marion Bartoli 7-5 6-1 to win the WTA Stanford crown and signal her US Open intentions.
It's the 13-time Grand Slam champion's first title since Wimbledon 2010 as she battles to rebuild her ranking from 169 after an injury layoff of almost a year.
The American was twice down a break in the opening set, but broke Bartoli as the French third seed served for the set at 5-4.
That launched a roll of eight straight games to the American as she pocketed the first set and took a 5-0 lead in the second to avenge her fourth-round loss to Bartoli at Wimbledon
