American Venus Williams defended her title at the Proximus Diamond Games on Sunday, cruising past Belgium's Kim Clijsters.

Williams, the top seed, did not lose a set in the indoor event and posted a 6-2 6-4 victory against the second-seeded Clijsters.

"I have to say that I was very happy with the way I played until 6-2 5-2," the 22-year-old Williams said.

"Kim raised her level after that and she was fighting like made to stay in the match."

"Venus played just too good today," Clijsters said. "I started off well and played better at the end, but she simply played too well.

"I was expecting her to make more mistakes but she didn't."

Playing in only her second event of the year, Williams claimed her 28th career title and first since New Haven last August.

Williams earned £58,000 and is closer to taking home a diamond studded racket. She has to win this event once more in the next three years to earn the golden racket encrusted with approximately 1,700 diamonds.

"I guess I have to come back next year to try and win the racket," she said.

Clijsters, who has reached the semi-finals or better at eight of her last nine tournaments, was playing in her 11th final since July 2001.

She was hoping to capture her 12th career title, but settled for enormous crowd support.

The final was played before a sold-out crowd of 14,460, the largest attendance at a final for a women-only tournament since the season-ending championships at Madison Square Garden in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"I'm happy with my week and the support I received from the Belgian fans was just unbelievable," Clijsters said.

"I've never witnessed anything like the crowd support she got and it was terrific to see so many people come out," Williams added.