Defying all odds and overcoming a crowded field of top-ranked players, a new champion was crowned at the 38th annual Bank of the West Classic held at Stanford’s Taube Family Tennis Stadium this past week. And it wasn’t Serena Williams, defending champion Anna Chakvetadze or crowd-favorite Sania Mirza.

Instead, 20-year-old qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak took home the title as the first Canadian to win a WTA Tour title in 20 years.

Wozniak defeated a worn-down Marion Bartoli 7-5, 6-3 on a clear Sunday afternoon for her first career title.

“It feels great,” Wozniak said. “It’s my first title on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and I’m really excited and proud of what I have accomplished here, advancing through the qualifying round.”

As a qualifier, Wozniak won three matches to play in the main draw. Once in the bracket, she would need four consecutive wins to reach the finals.

“You know, I believe in myself, but I never thought I could win this tournament,” Wozniak said after her first career victory.

Playing in her eighth and final match of the tournament, Wozniak showed no signs of fatigue in the finals, blasting 33 winners to Bartoli’s 12.

Former Wimbledon finalist Bartoli, on the other hand, began to falter during the second set and was clearly ailing.

“I just tried to forget about the pain and stay focused,” Bartoli said. “But my legs were moving so slowly and I wasn’t able to hit the ball as I was able to do in my last match . . . I was going through a lot of pain, but I just wanted to finish the match.”

Despite her injury, Bartoli continued to battle in the final frame, only losing serve once.

“She kept fighting,” Wozniak said. “She kept hitting the ball through even though she called a medical timeout — so I was surprised. So, I kept hitting aggressive and trying not to get distracted by her injury.”

Though Bartoli, in her first finals since her 2007 Wimbledon showing, would eventually yield to Wozniak’s dominant play, she certainly gave the fans what they had came for.

Factoring into the finals upset may have been that most of Bartoli’s previous matches took place in the night session, while Wozniak was able to acclimate to daytime on the courts.

A day earlier, Wozniak finished her semifinal match against Williams in the early afternoon, while Bartoli would have to overcome Sugiyama in yet another night match.

Still, Bartoli fought Wozniak until the last point.

“It’s hard to retire during the final of the tournament,” Bartoli said. “I just wanted to give the fans a complete match and even if I knew I was unable to win it, it was just better for everyone to try and keep going to the end.”

Despite Bartoli’s effort, many big names were quickly eliminated from the bracket since day one.

Before even the first match, former champion Lindsey Davenport and No. 6 Elena Dementieva withdrew from the Classic due to injury.

In the first round, three qualifiers advanced, including Anne Keothavong, who upset last year’s finalist Sania Mirza. Backed by the crowd’s audible support, Mirza could not repeat her 2007 run to the finals.

More shockingly, one of the biggest names in women’s tennis, Serena Williams, was almost upset by 15 year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal in the first round.

Making her first appearance on the Farm since the 1999 Fed Cup, Williams drew a packed crowd on a cool Tuesday evening.

“I’ve never been able to make it here, so I’m happy that I’m here and playing here,” Williams said. “It’s a different atmosphere — it’s nice.”

Larcher de Brito burst out of the gates, taking the first set 6-4. Finally adjusting to her game, Williams came back for the three-set victory.

After the match, Williams lauded her young opponent.

“I think if she plays the way she plays against me, she’ll be a great player,” Williams said.

Williams would fall in the semifinals to Wozniak, retiring after injuring a heavily wrapped left knee.

The last quarterfinalist, 33 year-old Ai Sugiyama, also drew a large crowd after defeating fourth seed Daniela Hantuchova in the first round. Sugiyama would eventually fall to Bartoli in the semifinals.

On a side note, the Stanford women’s tennis program also made a splash on the tennis scene.

Former Cardinal Amber Liu ‘06 competed in the main draw against Patty Schnyder in the first round.

“I played four years on that court and it’s nice to have the home crowd,” Liu said. “So I was actually pretty comfortable, but just a little bit out of match practice. The crowd has always been behind me here.

“I feel like this is my second home,” she added.

Though backed by the crowd and fiance Michael Chang in the stands, Liu fell 6-1, 6-1 to the hard-hitting Schnyder.

Similarly, rising sophomore phenom Hilary Barte represented the Card in the qualifiers, but suffered an inopportune injury and lost.

Ultimately, the Classic brought big names and storylines to Stanford, injecting life into the otherwise calm campus summertime sports scene. After a long week of match-play, tennis fans will have to wait a year for the Classic’s return to the Farm in 2009.