There's no doubt that all-Williams clashes leave the victor with battle scars, but Serena in particular has been known to emerge from them even stronger than before. And last Sunday she proved that resilience once again, beating Patty Schnyder in straight sets for the Canara Bank Bangalore Open '08 title, her 29th career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title and first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title of the year.

In the semifinals on Saturday, Serena won a nail-biter against Venus, saving a match point trailing 6-5 in the third set and eventually claiming victory in a third set tie-break, 63 36 76(4). In the final on Sunday, the No.3 seed fought off some tough resistance from No.4 seed Schnyder in the opening set, regrouping after allowing a 4-2 lead and two set points at 5-4 slip away, closing the set out, 7-5. She then rallied back from 3-1 down in the second to win the match, 75 63.

"It definitely feels good to be the champion here at the Canara Bank Bangalore Open," Williams said. "I'm feeling really good about it. Not only were there a lot of great fans showing so much support here but it always feels good to win. To win for the fans is really cool. I just wanted to keep my unforced errors down today; Patty played well, she forced me to bring my level up."

Serena will make he return visit to the tri-city area on July 9 when her Washington Kastles visit the NY Buzz. Tickets are still available. Please call 518-378-BUZZ for more information or click the ticket link to the left.