Venus Wins WTA Istanbul Title for Roland Garros Momentum

Top-seeded Venus Williams eased past Czech Nicole Vaidisova 6-3 6-2 on Saturday to win the inaugural WTA Istanbul Cup, gaining some much-needed confidence for Roland Garros.

"It's good to play against such a strong player before Roland Garros," Williams said. "I'm very excited about winning the title. It is my first time here."

The 16-year-old Vaidisova went down 0-4 in the first set and never recovered.

"Venus was just too good today," said the 39th-ranked Vaidisova. "I was making lots of mistakes, but that was largely because I was forced into shots I don't normally have to make. It's been a good week for me. Of course I'm disappointed to lose today, but it's my first claycourt final and I'm glad that I'm improving on this surface."

It was Williams' first title since Warsaw, Poland, in May 2004.

In the doubles final the No. 4-seeded Spanish/Italian team of Marta Marrero and Antonella Serra Zanetti defeated unseeded Austrian sisters Daniela and Sandra Klemenschits 6-4, 6-0 for their first title as a team.