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Aravane Rezai produced a stunning upset at the Madrid Open as she defeated Venus Williams 6-2 7-5 to claim the title.

The unseeded Frenchwoman had earlier beaten world number four Jelena Jankovic in the Spanish capital and repeated the dose by downing American Williams in an hour and three quarters in Sunday's final.

23-year-old Rezai denied fourth seed Williams a tenth clay court title by taking five games on the spin in the second set to seal the victory.

Rezai, from St Etienne, collected a third WTA Tour success after winning in Strasbourg and Bali, but defeating the soon-to-be world number two marks the biggest success of her career.

Williams will still move up into second in the world rankings on Monday and both performances will stand the pair in good stead heading into the French Open later this mont