Marion Bartoli of France stunned American Venus Williams 6-2 5-7 6-4 to win the Bank of the West Classic on Sunday and her first WTA Premier Tour title in Stanford.

Venus looked off-colour from the start and struggled to keep the ball in the play in the firt set. However , she looked to find some form in the match as she bounced back from 3-5 down in the second set to level the match score at 1-1. 

Bartoli broke Venus to start the third set but let it slip at 3-3. But again a break of serve in the seventh game gave French women a chance to serve for the set and she closed it 6-4.

"It was really hard mentally to win the second set, because it was getting tighter and tighter... when I served for the match, she sensed I was tight, and she started coming up with big winners," Bartoli explained. 

"I just tried to stay positive and focused in the third set. We had some great rallies in the third set. It was so hard to win the last game. The only chance to win that was to take my chances, because otherwise Venus wouldn't give me anything. I gave everything I had today."

"Marion played really well today. I have to give her credit for playing so well," said Venus. 

"I was fighting myself out there as well as her. It was a tough day. I had to fight through it and in the end I ran out of time. My last few matches were so good, but today I just couldn't execute the way I wanted."

In the doubles final, Williams sisters defeated Chan Yung-Jan and Monica Niculescu 6-4 6-1 to lift the trophy.