Serena Williams vs. Simona Halep: Score, Recap for Western & Southern Open 2015

Serena Williams successfully defended her title at the Western & Southern Open on Sunday against Simona Halep. After starting hot to take the first set, Williams found a way to grind out a tiebreaker to claim victory 6-3, 7-6 (5).

Williams' superior power was on full display, as she smashed 15 aces to just two double-faults in gaining leverage on her exceptional opponent. It helped her overcome a 3-1 hole in the opening set to notch five unanswered games and find the upper hand.

ESPN Stats & Info noted just how impressive it was for Williams to go back-to-back in the Cincinnati Masters:

Despite the letdown after leading Williams in the early going, Halep didn't waver in the second set.

Tough as Williams often was on her first serves, she lost 22 of 32 second-serve points to Halep for the match. Halep hit 73 percent of her first serves in play to keep the pressure on as well.

Moments of resilience from Halep included fending off two break points to hold serve at 4-3 in the second and the magnificent forehand winner that was a near double-liner on the first match point. The WTA revealed how Halep tried to extend the match, only to see her drop shot fall short:

She was classy in defeat, wishing Williams luck in her bid for more tennis history.

"I know that you can do all four, so do the best, and be strong," Halep said to Williams about the latter's impending bid for the calendar Grand Slam at the U.S. Open, per the New York Times' Ben Rothenberg.

Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated is among those who fancy Williams' chances at holding all four 2015 majors at once:

There's no doubting her as the prohibitive favorite entering the final Grand Slam event. She simply possesses the best blend of power and consistency among her contemporaries. No one is even close to her when she is firing on all cylinders—and her B-game is often good enough to beat anyone.

Halep did well to fight her way to the final and pose a decent challenge. The 23-year-old has three singles titles to her credit this season and needed three sets in her first three matches in Cincinnati to position herself for a showdown with Williams.

It wouldn't be wise to count her out at the U.S. Open, especially with the pressure Williams will be facing to become just the third woman ever to complete the calendar Slam. Until Williams shows signs of a declining skill set or slumping form, though, she is the player to beat at Flushing Meadows.

Even when she starts out slow as she did Sunday, she finds an extra gear and simply dominates whoever is across from her. Unless someone can take first-set momentum and run with it, it's hard to fathom Williams losing on the hard courts with so much at stake in the next major tournament.