Sunday 15 May 2016 17:20, UK
Serena Williams warmed-up for her title defence at Roland Garros by beating Madison Keys in the final of the Italian Open.
The world No 1 American triumphed 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in 84 minutes, although she was pushed all the way by her young compatriot - especially in the opening set.
Keys made a superb start in Rome breaking serve in the opening game, before being pegged back in the sixth.
And these were the only breaks of serve ahead of the tie-break which was also nip and tuck until Williams sealed the opener on her first set point.
The 34-year-old then raced into a 3-0 lead in the second set, thanks to a brace of service breaks.
However, Keys responded by claiming one of her own but was unable to close the gap on Williams who was contesting her first tournament in seven weeks and first on clay for 10 months.
It was her fourth Italian title, following her victories in 2002, 2013 and 2014.
Williams said: "It feels great to win a title, especially on clay. It was important to go out there and win."
And she was full of praise for Keys: "I think Madison's a great player, I really do. Always have. I think she's got potential to be number one in the world."
The 24-year-old runner-up added: "No matter how many times you play Serena, you always go in and you can just feel her presence.
"That's always an extra thing that you have to be worried about during the match. But for me today it really wasn't so much about how big the tournament was or anything like that.
"It was really just wanting to go out and do my best and give my best performance."
