Venus Williams rallied to win her first WTA’s Sony Ericsson Championship, beating Vera Zvonareva 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-2 on Sunday.

“I’m so excited,” Williams said. “That was a hard-fought match, every point, right down to the end.”

The victory earned Venus $1.34 million and she has improved to #6 from #8 in the overall Women’s Tennis rankings.

“I know I can go higher in the rankings,” Venus said after the match.

If she can stay focused Venus will eventually become #1 in the world once again.