World number 14 Bartoli dominated the back court rallies, served and returned with aggression and shook off a case of nerves that cost her the second set.
Eighth seed Bartoli served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but played passively and was broken by twice Stanford champion Williams, who then won the set when Bartoli double faulted.
But the Frenchwoman, thrashed by the American in the 2007 Wimbledon final, kept charging and after breaking Williams to 4-3 in the third set, held her nerve. She fell behind 0-30 in the final game, but then nailed four straight winners, including a big serve to win the contest. The Stanford title was Bartoli's fifth crown overall, but the first time the 24-year-old has won a WTA Premier level event.
Querrey wins
Big-serving American Sam Querrey shrugged off a nervous second set to clinch his second ATP title with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Australian qualifier Carsten Ball at the LA Open on Sunday.
Querrey powered down his 11th ace of the match to wrap up victory. It was a case of third time lucky for the Californian world number 32 who had been beaten in the final of his last two ATP events, in Newport and Indianapolis last month.
In the opening set, breaks were traded in the fifth and sixth games before Querrey secured a key break in the ninth, ending a protracted rally with a backhand winner with Ball stranded at the net.
Querrey appeared to tighten up while serving for the set in the 10th, trailing 0-30 and later squandering two advantage points before clinching the set when a Ball backhand sailed wide. The second set went with serve until the eighth game when Querrey was broken after Ball hit a rasping backhand service return winner down the line. Ball comfortably held in the ninth to level the match at one-set all.
Querrey, however, regained control in the third set, breaking his opponent in the second game after Ball dumped a forehand into the net. Ball was again broken in the sixth after making an unforced error on his backhand and Querrey held serve to claim a second title on the circuit, following his triumph in Las Vegas last year.
