Eight days after winning her fifth Wimbledon title, Serena Williams came back from a set point down in the opening set to topple lucky loser Coco Vandeweghe 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday to claim a second consecutive Bank of the West title at Stanford.
“I think I played well enough to win today. I think I can do a lot better,†said a jet-lagged Williams, “but there are a lot of positives from today. I was fighting out there. I wanted it.
“I think Coco played really well today. She has a really strong, solid game.”
“The thing that impressed me the most about Serena was just how great of a person she is, as far as all the nice things she said about me at the ceremony, and the things she said afterwards,†said Vandeweghe.â€To have someone you grew up watching say those things to you, it’s just a really nice feeling. ”
“There’s a lot of things going through my mind right now – happiness I was in the final and disappointment I lost today – but I’m just going to put all that on the backburner for now and start focusing on my next tournament in San Diego.”
For Williams it’s her 43rd career title, tying her with her sister Venus for first among active players and with Venus, Martina Hingis and Justine Henin for 10th-most of the Open Era.
Next tournament for Serena will be the Olympic Games and she believes she’s ready.
“I’ve never felt this fit, this strong, this happy to play – and I think I can be even better. I want to sustain this momentum and build on what I did at Wimbledon. I’m going to get back on the grass now for the Olympics – I’m not sure when I’m heading back to London, but I’ll do it as soon as I can.”
Serena has never won a singles gold medal at the Olympics, but she and sister Venus will be going for their third doubles gold.
“It would mean a lot to me, but I can’t lay all my hopes and dreams on just that,” Serena said. “But it would mean a lot. I would like to try to get one.”
Williams credits last year’s win at Stanford with putting her back on the comeback trail after blood clots in her lungs and foot surgeries kept her off the tour.
The last time two American women met in a final was back in Los Angeles in 2004 when Serena Williams lost to Lindsay Davenport.
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BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC
Stanford, CA, USA
July 9-15, 2012
$740,000/Premier
Hard/Outdoors
Results – Sunday, July 15, 2012
Singles – Final
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (LL) Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 75 63
Doubles – Final
Erakovic/Watson (NZL/GBR) d. (1) Gajdosova/King (AUS/USA) 75 76(7)