Serena Williams is once again back on track after a dismal Wimbledon performance with a title run at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford. This is Williams’ third title at this Premier-level event, having triumphed in 2011 and 2012 (skipped 2013 event). The American overcame a 1-5 deficit in the first set to outlast Angelique Kerber of Germany 7-6, 6-3.
“When I was down 5-1, I was just thinking I had to take it one point at a time,” Williams said. “I knew I just had to relax and not be so crazy. Up until that point I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do, and what I had been doing in practice, so I knew I just had to start doing the right things going forward.
“I feel like I’m on the right track again. I feel like I can play even better – I wasn’t serving my best, and I wasn’t making as many winners off the return as I wanted to, but I think I’m getting there.”
Williams, a heavy favorite to win the upcoming US Open, admitted that even if she successfully defends the title in New York, there will still be lingering disappointments on how she fared in her last three Grand Slam tournaments.
“It would definitely make it better, but it wouldn’t make it go away,” she said. “It would definitely be great, but right now I’m just focused on the next tournament, which right now is in Toronto.”
“I mean Montréal!” she corrected. “I definitely won’t go to Toronto, I won’t win a match there!”
Her win in Stanford increases her title haul this season to four – the most among the players this year. This is her 61st career WTA title.
Her victory also increased her standings at the Road to Singapore leaderboard – from number six to four.
The doubles event was won by Spaniards Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro after outlasting Paula Kania and Katerina Siniakova in a match tie-break, 6-2, 4-6, 10-5.
