Venus Williams proved she was still a force to be reckoned with after a two-year battle with injuries and illness as she downed Romania's Monica Niculescu 6-2, 6-3 to win the Luxembourg Open title on Sunday.
The result ended a torrid year and a 31-month barren run for the 32-year-old American, who failed to get past the second round of any of the three majors she competed in 2012.
While victory in a low-key tournament in Luxembourg might not rate as a landmark win for a woman who has won seven grand slam singles titles, the American looked visibly delighted to get back into the winner's circle for the first time since being diagnosed with the auto-immune, fatigue inducing illness Sjogren's Syndrome in 2011.
