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She finished with five double-faults and six aces. Williams didn't fare much better with nine aces and six double-faults, but she won 81 percent of her first-serve points and waited for her opponent to make mistakes.
Vandeweghe again double-faulted to give Williams a set point at 6-5, and Williams smacked another backhand crosscourt that Vandeweghe barely got a racket on. Williams gave a light fist pump and stayed steady, just as she had for most of the last month in her latest rise up the rankings.
Another double-fault by Vandeweghe on break point gave Williams a 3-1 lead in the second set. Williams served out the match and put away one final forehand winner on match point, giving another light fist pump and showing little emotion -- especially compared to her hug-filled celebration with family eight days earlier on Wimbledon's grass.
The fourth-ranked Williams, still jet-lagged from traveling more than 5,000 miles and eight time zones from the All England Club, never looked at her dominating best at Stanford. But she did exactly what she wanted all week: just win.
"I definitely think I survived," she said. "I don't think I played my greatest. But I do think I was mentally there, and that helped me out a lot."
Not only did she defend her points to stay on track to regain the No. 1 world ranking, she did it on a court that will forever hold a special place in her heart. The tournament is where Williams' comeback took shape last year when she beat Marion Bartoli in the finals for her first WTA title since returning from blood clots in her lungs and two foot operations that threatened her life and career for almost a year.
The last player to win consecutive titles at Stanford was Kim Clijsters in 2005-06. Clijsters is also second behind the Williams sisters with 41 career WTA titles.
The previous all-American final at home on the WTA Tour came when Lindsay Davenport topped Williams in Los Angeles in 2004.
[Associated
Press;
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