Venus Williams held the Venus Rosewater trophy aloft with pride for the fourth time in her stellar career having overcome the stubborn resistance of Marion Bartoli  6-4 6-1 in 90 minutes.

The 23^rd seeded American who came into the final as the overwhelming favourite did not allow the gritty Frenchwoman even a sniff of an upset as she powered herself to victory, displaying an irresistible combination of power and athleticism unmatched in these championships.

The match looked like it would be a one-sided affair as the American raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, before 18^th seeded Bartoli settled and began to hit with the kind of fervour and accuracy that had rocked the top seed Justine Henin in the previous round. However, with the score at 5-4 to Williams and Bartoli serving, the American upped the pace and took the set with a rasping two-handed backhand  drive volley winner and from there accelerated ahead to 3-0 in the second set. This time there would be no recovery for the brave French girl who could not counter the ferocity of the Williams game which included an impressive 70% of first serves from which she won a staggering 77% of points. Her 125mph serves often sending shock waves through the wrists of her wary oppnent.

With a 120mph body serve, Williams took the match on her second match point and raised her arms in triumph. A fourth Wimbledon title, a sixth Grand Slam and equal prize money to the tune of £700,000 was certainly something to smile about.

"This is so much different from the others", Williams said when asked how this compared with her previous Wimbledon titles. "The other ones, I felt like I was playing championship form from minute one. Here I had to really focus on my game and overcome a lot of challenges including being seeded so low.

"But all in all, it's wonderful. The last time I won, it was really an outrageous way to win. I keep that trophy by my bed. I don't know if I can replace that trophy, but it's so wonderful."

Winning Wimbledon again has given the four-time champion an appetite for more success and she believes that her sister Serena will be as inspired by her victory as she was watching her win the Australian Open this year ranked 81.

"This is my sixth Slam and I want some more. My main goal is to stay fit. We motivate each other to get more. When she sees me win here, she's just going to go for it. When I saw her win in Australia I knew I could do it. We just love each other and inspire each other like that."

Bartoli, who dedicated her Wimbledon performance to her father who left his job as a doctor to become her coach when she was 16, knew that although she had lost, she had given it her all.

"I tried my best, but Venus just played some unbelievable tennis", she said. "I think I played a great match but in the end she was just too good. It's just not possible to beat her when she plays like this on grass."