Can Serena be the greatest of all time?

Serena Williams took Caroline Wozniacki apart 6-3 6-3 in what turned out to be a rather dull and unimpressive women's US Open final, securing her 18th Grand Slam title.

That draws her level with Chrissie Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time list, and one behind Helen Wills Moody in third.

She's still some way behind Steffi Graf, though, who won 22 Slams in her career, and well behind the legendary Margaret Court, on 24.

Serena Williams: "I am thinking 19...but not 22. I'm taking it one at a time...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 racquet...I want to do really well and I love the game. 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 joys. I'm just a simple individual who just wants to win titles and wants to play tennis."

Caroline Wozniacki: "I don't believe that talent can beat everything. She works hard every day, just like us, but when she needs to she can pull out that big serve. She has the power. She can push us back on the court and take the initiative. She definitely has the experience now, as well...and it makes it even harder to beat her. I think her results and her career says it all: 18 Grand Slam titles. You don't get that unless you're exceptional in what you do."

Chris Evert: "I feel she can keep going. There's no reason why she can't reach Steffi...She can win three or four more for sure, in my mind, if she stays healthy, stays engaged in the sport and stays motivated. And I think she has a real sense of history now, which has changed. I think at the beginning of her career she didn't."

Billie Jean King: "How long can she go on for? It's down to whether she wants to pay the price or not. I played until 40. She hasn't had major operations which is what I look at. She is a phenomenal athlete."

Johnette Howard, ESPN: "Serena is more powerful than Graf, more athletic than Evert, and she has been able to sustain the number one ranking and individual excellence at the majors at a later age than Navratilova, although Navratilova played singles to age 38 and held the top ranking over 100 weeks more than Williams has so far. Graf's candidacy for best ever is also coloured by the fact that her reign coincided with a time on the tour when Monica Seles, her most dangerous rival, was stabbed by a fan and left. Serena, in contrast, has had to outlast or overcome challenges from myriad flanks: her sister Venus, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati - all of whom won multiple grand slam titles - and now, today's generation of rising stars."

Mike Dickson, Daily Mail: "Serena was already the oldest ever women's US Open champion coming into this, and even just short of her 33rd birthday she had still conceded only 26 games, an indication of her how strong her form has been. In the lead-in to this tournament she had twice beaten the resurgent Wozniacki, who is yet to beat a number one player now in five attempts."

Simon Briggs, the Telegraph: "New York has become Williams's banker in recent years. This was her third successive US Open title, since her unexpected defeat in the 2011 final against Australia's Sam Stosur. And, like all the others, it raised a familiar question. If Williams is this good as she approaches her 33rd birthday, how many more biggies can she land?"

Leaving aside her sheer physical power - exemplified by that serve - Williams's longevity is striking. There are 15 years between her first Slam win - in 1999 at the US Open - and this most recent one. She's already the oldest woman ever to hold the number one ranking.

Even in a year as disappointing as this has been for her, she refused to let it go by without a Slam win, summoning up sheer grit to win her third in a row at Flushing Meadows.

Evert won a slam every year for 13 years; Navratilova had more weeks at number one; but our hunch is that Williams will go on and tick off as many records as possible for as long as possible - just because she can.