Serena Williams captured her first tournament title since returning to tennis, beating Marion Bartoli, 7-5, 6-1, on Sunday to win the Bank of the West Classic at Palo Alto.

The 13-time major champion overcame two breaks in the first set to rally for a dominating finish. She went ahead 5-0 in the second and never relented.

"Coming back and hearing the claps when I walk out there are moments that I truly missed," Williams said. "It's so awesome to be back and to be a part of those moments. Not everyone can be a sports, I don't know if `star' sounds full of myself, but I've worked hard for that title.

"So, yes, I say it and I take pride in it."

The victory was even sweeter because the ninth-ranked Bartoli beat the former world No. 1 in straight sets in the fourth round at Wimbledon this year.

The appearance in the final also was the first for Williams since winning at the All England Club in 2010 and her best showing since missing nearly a year because of blood clots in her lungs and two foot operations.

Unseeded and ranked 169th, Williams mowed down the competition with relative ease, including a 6-1, 6-3 thumping of Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals. She capped it off with a vintage performance against a well-rested Bartoli, who advanced when Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova withdrew in the other semifinal because of a strained abdominal muscle.