US Open 2014 Women's Final: Recap and Results from Williams vs. Wozniacki

Serena Williams continues to move up the ranking of the best female tennis players of all time, as she won her 18th Grand Slam with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Caroline Wozniacki at the 2014 U.S. Open on Sunday.  

This was Williams' third U.S. Open title in a row and her sixth overall. 

Turner's Rachel Nichols summed up the 32-year-old's day with this tweet:

CBS Sports broke down Williams' decorated list of achievements:

With seven aces, 13 of 15 net points won and a 29-4 advantage in winners, it was a dominant victory for the American star.

The match got off to a rocky start for Wozniacki, who struggled with her accuracy early on. A few double faults led to a quick break and an early lead for Williams:

"

Early break for Serena to take a 2-0 lead against Wozniacki in the @usopen Women's Final. #ESPNTennis #USOpen

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 7, 2014"

It seemed as though the top seed's strong return ability would power her through the match, as Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times pointed out:

However, Williams also had problems with her serve, as described by ESPN's Howard Bryant, which left the door open for Wozniacki:

Williams soon got back on track and took the first set, 6-3, with a 15-1 advantage in winners.

Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated discussed the difference in the match:

Meanwhile, commentator David Law noted how focused Williams appeared early on:

Things did not change much in the second set, with the favorite excelling in all phases of the game. Rembert Browne of Grantland suggested her accuracy was the difference:

She never faced a break point in the second set and was able to close out the impressive victory in one hour and 15 minutes.

Wozniacki came into the day looking for the first Grand Slam title of her career. Before the match, she told reporters (via Howard Fendrich of The Associated Press), "I would love to...have a Grand Slam under my belt. It would definitely have the media stop talking about my lack of a Grand Slam, so that would be nice."

Although she couldn't knock off Williams this time around, her strong performance in just her second-ever major final showed she is close to finally achieving that dream. She will simply have to wait until at least 2015 to accomplish the goal.

Adding to the intrigue of this matchup was the two competitors' closeness off the court. According to John Koblin of The New York Times, Williams was especially helpful in aiding Wozniacki after golf superstar Rory McIlroy broke off the pair's engagement earlier this year.

"Serena is one of my best friends,” Wozniacki said. “For a long time. But especially in the last year."

Williams also posted this picture on her Instagram before Sunday's final:

Before the match, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv discussed what a win could mean for Williams:

After winning five titles in the past three years, reaching this all-time titles milestone is certainly possible. No matter what happens from here, she will still be considered one of the best ever to play the game.

Additionally, she will remain a top contender for every tournament in the immediate future.

At the same time, Wozniacki is once again showing she is one of the best players in the world. The former No. 1 player has not fared well at the recent majors, but she entered the U.S. Open hot and kept the momentum for arguably the best two weeks of her career.

Even without a win in the finals, it is clear the young star will once again be a top threat on a weekly basis. Of course, she will likely need to find a way to beat her friend if she wants to take the next step.

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