Serena Williams is climbing her way back on top, starting with the Rogers Cup. The American athlete captured the Cup by slamming past Samantha Stosur with a score of 6-4, 6-2, winning her first Canadian title since 2001.
She accomplished this win just eight weeks into her comeback from a series of illness and injuries that kept her out of the court for a total of 49 weeks.
“Being down the way I’ve been down and coming back, it was cool. Eight months ago if there was only one tournament I wanted to win, it was Toronto,” Williams said.
Williams holds 38 titles, among them 13 Grand Slams. She suffered a setback right after winning Wimbledon in the summer. She sustained a foot injury after stepping on broken glass in a restaurant in Germany. Subsequent medical checkups revealed blood clots in her lungs which required hospitalizations which kept her out of the court.
Williams dominated the match with her powerful serves and volleys, breaking her Australian opponent to lead 5-4 in the opening set. She broke two more times during the match that lasted for more than an hour, making the win with her ninth race.
Williams, who entered Rogers Cup unseeded and ranked 80th in the world is expected to rise up to the 31th place in the rankings with this victory. She is also expected to be one of the top favorites for the upcoming US Open.