Serena Williams defeats Madison Keys to win Italian Open

Serena Williams ended a nine-month title drought with a 7–6 (5), 6–3 win over Madison Keys in an all-American Italian Open final Sunday.

ROME (AP) Serena Williams ended a nine-month title drought with a 7–6 (5), 6–3 win over Madison Keys in an all-American Italian Open final Sunday.

Williams' previous title came in Cincinnati in August - a month before her attempt at a calendar-year Grand Slam ended with a semifinal loss to Roberta Vinci at the U.S. Open.

It's Williams' fourth title in Rome and it comes exactly a week before the French Open begins.

It was the first time two American women have met in a final on clay since Serena beat older sister Venus in the 2002 French Open.

The last all-American final in Rome was in 1970, when Billie Jean King beat Julie Heldman.

In the men's final, top-ranked Novak Djokovic was facing Andy Murray.