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Serena ends trophy drought at Stanford

American Serena Williams will be one of the favorites for the U.S. Open after her victory at the Stanford Classic.
American Serena Williams will be one of the favorites for the U.S. Open after her victory at the Stanford Classic.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Serena Williams wins her first title in over a year at the Stanford Classic
  • Williams beats Marion Bartoli 7-5 6-1 in one hour and 22 minutes
  • It is Williams' 38th tour title and comes just weeks before the U.S. Open begins
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(CNN) -- Serena Williams captured her first title in over a year as she breezed past Marion Bartoli in the Stanford Classic in California.

The 13-time major champion was twice a break down in the opening set but battled back to take the game 7-5 6-1 in one hour and 22 minutes.

A foot injury and then a blood clot in her lungs kept Williams out of action for almost a year but her 38th title win means she is in good shape with the U.S. Open approaching.

After her win she said: "I'm shocked. I loved the support -- it's been so cool, so awesome. I'm so happy to be back."

Asked what was going through her mind as Bartoli served for the first set she said: "She has a really good serve and is such a good player so I was thinking 'No matter what, I got this far and I may as well try to relax.'"

Williams gained revenge for her fourth-round defeat at the hands of Bartoli at Wimbledon but struggled in the early stages.

Bartoli, the third seed, was serving for the set at 5-4 but Williams broke back and went on to take the set.

She then won the first five games of the second set before Bartoli finally got a game on the board. But it was only a temporary reprieve as Williams held serve to take the match.