Bank Of The West Classic 2012: Serena Williams Wins Second-Straight Title

Bank Of The West Classic 2012: Serena Williams Wins Second Straight Title

When all was said and done, Serena Williams once again stood alone, triumphant, at the Bank of the West Classic on Sunday. The newly-crowned Wimbledon champion repeated as the Bank of the West Classic winner in the 2012 edition at Stanford.

Williams was able to defeat her opponent Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, to claim the victory in the first WTA U.S. Open Series tournament of 2012. It was the first all-U.S. final in America since 2004. Williams is now ranked No. 4 in the world and shows no signs of slowing down as she becomes the first repeat champion at the Bank of the West Classic since Kim Clijsters in 2005-2006.

Williams had little trouble in the second set after the unseeded Vandeweghe showed plenty of fight in the first. The win marks the 43rd career WTA singles title for Williams. She will take home the lion's share of the $740,000 tournament purse.

For complete updates on the Bank of the West Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the world of professional tennis, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Bank Of The West Classic 2012: Serena Williams, Coco Vandeweghe Set To Meet In Final

Serena Williams will attempt to repeat as Bank of the West Classic champion Sunday when she faces Coco Vandeweghe in the women's singles final.

Williams advanced to the final by beating No. 9 seed Sorana Cirstea, while Vandeweghe upset No. 5 seed Yanina Wickmayer in the semifinals. Williams has not lost a set during the tournament and you have to go back to the first set of the third round of Wimbledon to find the last time she did.

This will be the first WTA final for Vandweghe and the first time two USA born players have met in a WTA final played in the United States in eight years. The match between Williams and Vandweghe will begin at 4 p.m. ET.

You can find a full scoreboard of the 2012 Bank of the West Classic courtesy of SI.com.

For complete updates on the Bank of the West Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the world of professional tennis, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

2012 Bank Of The West Classic: Serena Williams Headed To The Final

Serena Williams is now one match away from her second tournament victory in as many weeks. Williams will attempt to win her second-straight Bank of the West Classic title Sunday when she faces Coco Vandeweghe.

Williams advanced to the final by beating No. 9 seed Sorana Cirstea in straight sets Saturday night. Williams won the first set 6-1 and cruised into the final with a 6-2 win in the second set. Williams has not lost a set during any of her three matches in the tournament.

The unseeded Vandeweghe reached the final by upsetting No. 5 seed Yanina Wickmayer in three sets. Vandeweghe won the first set 6-2 before Wickmayer tied the match with a 6-3 win in the second set. Vandeweghe punched her ticket to the final with a 6-2 win in the third set.

You can find a full scoreboard of the 2012 Bank of the West Classic courtesy of SI.com.

For complete updates on the Bank of the West Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the world of professional tennis, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

2012 Bank Of The West Classic: Serena Williams Advances To Semifinals

Serena Williams is one step closer to defending her Bank of the West Classic title after she advanced to the semifinals on Friday.

Williams, fresh off her fifth career Wimbledon title, defeated Chanelle Scheepers in straight sets during day 5. The two battled in the first set with Williams ultimately prevailing 6-4. She then cruised in the second set, winning 6-0 to advance.

Williams will face No. 9 seed Sorana Cirstea in the semifinals on Saturday. Cirstea advanced to the semifinals by beatting No. 3 seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-7, 6-2, 6-0. On the other side of the bracket, No. 5 seed Yanina Wickmayer and Coco Vandeweghe also advanced to the semifinals on Friday. Vandeweghe defeated Urszula Radwanska 6-4, 6-4. Wickmayer moved on by defeating No. 2 seed Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-2.

You can find a full scoreboard of the 2012 Bank of the West Classic courtesy of SI.com.

For complete updates on the Bank of the West Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the world of professional tennis, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Bank of the West Classic 2012: Serena Williams Back On Court After Wimbledon Victory

Wednesday marks the end of Serena Williams' brief respite from the tennis court after her latest victory at Wimbledon when she takes on Nicole Gibbs in the 2012 Bank of the West Classic. The No. 1 seed in this tournament, Williams received a bye into the second round. Thus, she had to wait to find out if her opponent was to be Gibbs or Noppawan Lertcheewakarn. Gibbs defeated Lertcheewakarn in straight sets, 6-4 6-4.

Here is a schedule for all of Wednesday's singles tournament matches (all times PT):

Starting at 11:00 a.m.

Michelle Larcher de Brito vs. No. 6 Chanelle Scheepers
No. 5 Yanina Wickmayer vs. Heather Watson

Not before 3:00 p.m.

No. 1 Serena Williams vs. Nicole Gibbs

Not before 8:00 p.m.

Coco Vandeweghe vs. No. 4 Jelena Jankovic

Wednesday's action will also feature the first of three "legends" matches. Michael Chang and Pete Sampras will play at 7:00 p.m. at the earliest. Jim Courier is the third legend playing in this set of exhibition matches. For a full schedule of doubles matches, head over to the official Bank of the West Classic website (PDF).

You can find a full scoreboard of the 2012 Bank of the West Classic courtesy of SI.com.

For complete updates on the Bank of the West Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the world of professional tennis, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

2012 Bank Of The West Classic: Nicole Gibbs Advances, Will Face Serena Willims In Round 2

Day 2 of the 2012 Bank of the West Classic took place on Tuesday with seven matches, and now we know who will play Serena Williams, fresh off a Wimbledon victory, in the second round. American Nicole Gibbs defeated Noppawan Lertcheewakarn in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

The only seeded player on the court on Tuesday, No. 8 Marina Erakovic, also won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. She will play Urszula Radwańska, younger sister of Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka. Radwańska defeated Eleni Daniilidou, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Erika Sema defeated Alexa Glatch, 6-2, 6-3. Saisai Zheng advanced to the second round after Ayumi Morita retired during the first set. Zheng was leading the set, 4-2. Mallory Burdette lost the first set to Anne Keothavong, 2-6, but recovered and won the next two, 7-5, 6-4. In the late match, Sorana Cirstea defeated American Vania King in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4.

You can find a full scoreboard of the 2012 Bank of the West Classic courtesy of SI.com.

For complete updates on the Bank of the West Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the world of professional tennis, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Bank Of The West Classic 2012: Vania King Headlines Day 2 Matches

Tuesday will mark the second day of first -play in the 2012 Bank of the West Classic, which is the first stop of the women's 2012 U.S. Open Series.

A full seven singles matches are on the schedule for Tuesday, including four different U.S. players in action hoping to advance to the second round. Defending champion Serena Williams, along with the other three top seeds in the tournament, has a first-round bye and will not play her first match in the event until Wednesday.

The following matches will take place Tuesday. All times are PT.

Starting at 11:00 a.m.:

Nicole Gibbs (USA) vs. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA)
Marina Erakovic (NZL) [8] vs. Jana Juricova (SVK)
Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) vs. Urszula Radwanska (POL)

Not before 12:30 p.m.:

Erika Sema (JPN) vs. Alexa Glatch (USA)
Ayumi Morita (JPN) vs. Saisai Zheng (CHN)

Not before 7:00 p.m.:

Mallory Burdette (USA) vs. Anne Keothavong (GBR)
Vania King (USA) vs. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) [9]

You can find a full scoreboard of the 2012 Bank of the West Classic courtesy of SI.com.

For complete updates on the Bank of the West Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the world of professional tennis, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

2012 Bank Of The West Classic: Day 1 Matches In The Books

The women's U.S. Open series kicked off on Monday at Stanford, as the first day's worth of matches in the first round of the 2012 Bank of the West Classic took place.

The top four seeds in the tournament, including defending champion Serena Williams, received byes to the second round, which begins Wednesday.

Monday's play featured first-round singles matches. Fifth seed Yanina Wickmeyer defeated Kai-Chen Chang in three sets, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5. Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal eliminated Australian player Jarmila Gajdosova, also in three sets, on scores of 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. The final early match saw U.S. player Grace Min bested by No. 6 seed Chanelle Scheepers of Russia in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

In the two late matches, Heather Watson defeated U.S. player Sloane Stephens in three sets, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-1, while in the nightcap, Coco Vandeweghe of the U.S. beat Melinda Czink in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1.

You can find a full scoreboard of the 2012 Bank of the West Classic courtesy of SI.com.

For complete updates on the Bank of the West Classic, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding the world of professional tennis, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Bank Of The West Classic 2012: First Round Matches Begin On Monday

The first stop on the U.S. Open Series begins on Monday. Serena Williams will defend her title at the Bank of the West Classic.