ROME -- Serena Williams proved she can win on clay by taking the Italian Open title.

Now it's on to the only Grand Slam tournament played on the slower surface, the French Open, which starts May 27.

Williams overcame a twisted right ankle and a tough opponent in Sunday's Italian Open final, beating Justine Henin 7-6 (6), 6-4 for her third championship of 2002 and first on clay in her career.

"A lot of people insist I'm not a clay-court player, although I am," Williams said. "So it makes me feel really good, especially going into Roland Garros."

The final was a rematch of the final at last week's German Open, which Henin won in a third-set tiebreaker.

It was an impressive showing by Williams, who beat top-ranked and defending French Open champion Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals at the Foro Italico. Williams will rise to a career-high No. 3 in the new rankings released Monday.

Against Henin, who hadn't lost a set all week before the final and will move up to No. 5 Monday, Williams was resilient.

She was undeterred by wasting five set points in the first set, which lasted 1 hour, 10 minutes, and closed out the victory with two service breaks in the second set.

With a game reliant on power and pace, Williams hasn't had a lot of success on clay in the past. She had never been beyond the quarterfinals in two previous trips to the Italian Open; that equals to her best showing at the French Open.

"Serena was too strong today," said Henin, a French Open semifinalist and Wimbledon finalist last year. "She was really aggressive and she didn't make a lot of mistakes. Today she was simply better than me."

Neither player appeared to be in top shape.

Williams had her right thigh and both of her ankles wrapped, while Henin wore a bandage around her left thigh.

Williams twisted her right ankle in the first set Sunday, and had a quick turnaround after her three-set semifinal victory Saturday over Capriati.

"I'm too young to be tired," Williams said. "The adrenaline of being in the final again and being so close last week, it didn't bother me at all."

Her ankle twist was "identical" to the injury that made her miss the Australian Open at the start of the year, Williams said, adding: "It was a good twist. It's going to be really sore tomorrow."

Williams' other titles this year were at Scottsdale, Ariz., and Miami. She now trails only Capriati and sister Venus in the rankings.

"Rome is in my heart," Williams said in Italian to a round of applause from the crowd before accepting the winner's check of $182,000.

Later, she had something other than tennis on her mind.

"I'm immediately going to have some gelato," Williams said, "it's my favorite thing in Italy."