Serena Williams wins Stanford Classic

STANFORD: Serena Williams sounded an ominous warning to her rivals that she will be a genuine contender at the US Open after winning the Stanford Classic on Sunday in her third tournament back from injury. Williams overpowered third seed Marion Bartoli of France 7-5 6-1 in Sunday's final and her opponent, who triumphed when they last met in the fourth round at Wimbledon this year, applauded the American's performance. In winning five matches on her way to the Stanford title, Williams experienced only one hiccup when she dropped a set to Russian Maria Kirilenko in the second round. The American crushed Australian Anastasia Rodionova 6-0 6-0 in the first round, eased past fifth-ranked Sharapova 6-1 6-3 in the last eight and destroyed Wimbledon semi-finalist Lisicki 6-1 6-2 in the semi-finals. (Reuters)