WASHINGTON - Fifth seed Serena Williams captured her 40th career WTA title by defeating ninth seed Czech Lucie Safarova 6-0, 6-1 at the Charleston claycourt tournament on Sunday.

The 13-time Grand Slam winner needed just 58 minutes to dispatch Safarova in her first final appearance since last year's U.S. Open when she lost to Samantha Stosur.

This marked Williams' first WTA title since turning 30 in September and she is the first 30-year-old to win on the green clay in Charleston since Martina Navratilova in 1990.

Serena Williams of the United States and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic pose together with their trophies after the finals of the Family Circle Cup Tennis Championship in Charleston, South Carolina April 8, 2012.[Photo/Agencies]