No 18 in the books, Williams targets next Slam

Super Serena draws level with Evert and Navratilova on all-time list

Serena Williams allowed herself a moment to savor a third straight US Open win on Sunday, but only a moment.

Just three hours after securing her 18th Grand Slam title with a dominating 6-3, 6-3 win over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, the world No 1 soaked up the accolades and applause and then admitted she was already thinking about No 19 and third spot on the all-time list now held by Helen Wills Moody.

"I am thinking 19," said Williams, who shares fourth on the list with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. "Hasn't even been three hours and I have already mentioned 19. Oh, gosh, but not 22.

"I'm taking it one at a time."

Williams will celebrate her 33rd birthday later this month and clearly has plans to celebrate many more Grand Slam titles as she climbs further and further up the rankings.

Moody is the next target but just ahead sits Steffi Graf on 22 and just ahead of her is the great Margaret Court who tops the list with 24.

Until Sunday, it did not look as if Williams would add to her Grand Slam haul this season.

She had added five tournament titles to her collection this season, coming into the US Open with her career total at 62, but at the Grand Slams she had fallen flat, failing to get beyond the last 16 in any of the first three majors.

However, if there was any thought Williams' career was on the decline she erased it with a stunningly ruthless performance, confirming herself as the Queen of Flushing Meadows.

In claiming her sixth US Open and third straight, Williams did not drop a set and never lost more than three games in any of them, capping off her run to the title with a ruthless 75-minute demolition of one of her best friends to the delight of her fans who packed Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

"I just could never have imagined that I would be mentioned with Chris Evert or with Martina Navratilova because I was just a kid with a dream and a racket," said a humble Williams. "Living in Compton, this never happened before."

And this was just the beginning, not the end, she said.

"I want to do really well and I love the game," Williams said.

"The reason I play is to sit at the end of the day and hold the trophy or stand and hold the trophy. For me, that's my joy.

"I'm just a simple individual who just wants to win titles and wants to play tennis."

Williams' rise from the Los Angeles ghetto to top of her sport is a tennis fairytale and despite describing herself as a "simple" woman, those who have faced her on the court understand she is something quite exceptional.

"I don't believe that talent can beat everything," said Wozniacki, who leaned on Williams for support after golfer Rory McIlroy broke off their engagement just before the French Open.

After nearly two decades of amassing records and titles, Williams is still driven by the pursuit of excellence and the thrill of victory.

This marks a record 15th straight year Williams has won at least one singles or doubles Grand Slam title and with her win on Sunday she became the second woman in the Open era to win three consecutive US Open titles.

Next year she will return to Flushing Meadows looking to match Evert's record of four set from 1975-78.

Although she has considerable accomplishments to reflect on, Williams says it is not something her and older sister Venus, a double US Open champion, dwell on. And it is not a conversation they plan on having for some time.

"I think we'll have those conversations when we retire and hopefully that will be a long time from now," said Williams. "Right now we just really want to be in there.

"We want to win matches. We want to win titles. We want to do really well. We just don't talk about that right now.

"I want to continue to rise and continue to play really hard and do the best I can."

When the match was over, Williams dropped to her back behind the baseline, covering her face with her hands. Her first major trophy also came in New York, in 1999, when she was 17.

This time, Williams earned $4 million, a record in tennis - $3 million for the title, plus a $1 million bonus for having had the best results during the North American summer hard-court circuit.

A few weeks shy of her 33rd birthday, making the American the oldest major champion since Navratilova was 33 at Wimbledon in 1990, Williams powered this way and that in her black-and-pink high-tops. Wozniacki is the one training for the New York City Marathon, but she was tuckered out by the end.

Wozniacki may as well have been an extra in this Williams' highlight reel. Points were directed by Williams, via serves that reached 120 mph (194 kph), forceful returns that backed Wozniacki into a corner when not producing outright winners, unreachable groundstrokes or the occasional volley.

"From a different planet," said Wozniacki's father, Piotr, who also coaches her. "Come on, there's no chance."

Yes, this was all about Williams. At times, it felt as if Wozniacki was there because, well, someone needed to be on the opposite side of the net.

They have been pals for years, and they hung out together in Miami - heading to the beach, watching a NBA playoff game - after both lost early at the French Open in May. Wozniacki says Williams helped her get over the end of her engagement to McIlroy. Williams said she planned to invite Wozniacki along for Sunday night's championship celebration.

"We're both going to do anything possible to win the match," said Wozniacki, a 24-year-old from Denmark who reached No 1 in the rankings in 2010, a year after losing to Kim Clijsters in the US Open final. "After the match, we're friends again."

Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou noted the obvious: It didn't matter one bit to Williams who she was facing.

"Yeah, they're friends," the coach said, "but on the other side, believe me, Serena has zero friends."

Serena Williams hugs the US Open trophy after defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the women's final at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sunday. Susan Mullane / USA Today Spor

(China Daily 09/09/2014 page24)