CINCINNATI: World number one Serena Williams rallied past third seed Simona Halep 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) to claim her second straight trophy in the Cincinnati WTA tournament on Sunday.

Williams, who will be bidding for history at the US Open as she attempts to complete a rare calendar-year Grand Slam singles sweep, came back from an early first-set deficit to take charge against Halep.

Williams was playing her third consecutive Cincinnati final and she claimed her fifth title of 2015.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2015