starter Henry Burris and backups Dan LeFevour and Jeremiah

NEW YORK -- A couple of months before Serena Williams capped her dominant run to a third consecutive U.S. Open championship and 18th major singles title Sunday night, she sat down with coach Patrick Mouratoglou to decipher why the season had been such a struggle by her standards. At the time, Williams was coming off a third-round loss at Wimbledon, which followed a second-round loss at the French Open, which followed a fourth-round loss at the Australian Open -- and, when Grand Slam success defines a legacy, that simply wouldnt do. The quest to match Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova at 18 was weighing on her. It was definitely on my shoulders, Williams could acknowledge after that burden was gone. It was definitely like, Oh, get there. Get there. Get there. She knew, of course, there was one more big event left in 2014, and a finite amount of time to turn things around before heading to Flushing Meadows. In some ways starting from scratch, Williams regrouped and stopped her mini-slump, never dropping more than three games in any set, including a 6-3, 6-3 victory over close friend Caroline Wozniacki in Sundays final. When Serena is on her game, said the 10th-seeded Wozniacki, who admitted she was nervous in her second Grand Slam title match, theres not much we can do. Williams matched Everts total of six U.S. Opens and became the first woman to win three in a row since Everts four-title run from 1975-78. Add in Williams five titles apiece at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, plus two at the French Open, and only three players have more Slams: Margaret Court with 24, Steffi Graf with 22, and Helen Wills Moody with 19. Ranked and seeded No. 1, Williams let Wozniacki keep things competitive for about five games but wound up compiling a hard-to-believe 29-4 edge in winners. Until a cross-court backhand in the final game, the only winners registered by Wozniacki came on aces. When it was over, Williams dropped to her back behind the baseline, covering her hands with her face. 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 hightops. 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 Wozniackis father, Piotr, who also coaches her. Come on, theres no chance. Yes, this was all about Williams. At times, it felt as if Wozniacki were there because, well, someone needed to be on the opposite side of the net. Theyve been pals for years, and they hung out together in Miami -- heading to the beach, watching an 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 golf star Rory McIlroy. Williams said she planned to invite Wozniacki along for Sunday nights championship celebration. Were 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 U.S. Open final. After the match, were friends again. Mouratoglou noted the obvious: It didnt matter one bit to Williams who she was facing. Yeah, theyre friends, the coach said, but on the other side, believe me, Serena has zero friends. The last time she was at a major, Williams followed her early Wimbledon singles exit with an odd episode in doubles, appearing disoriented and quitting after three games because of what she called a bug. After Wimbledon, I was just so disappointed, Williams said. I also realized I just needed to relax a little more. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I dont have to put pressure on myself. When she met with Mouratoglou after Wimbledon to discuss how to proceed, he recalled Sunday, She coached me. She told me, Look, you are a guy who likes challenges. I am so low. You should be motivated by that. Since that chat in Paris, Williams has won 19 of 20 matches and three titles. Only one number mattered to her Sunday night, though: 18. Larry Fitzgerald Womens Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed the cornerback to a four-year, $39 million deal with a $12. 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Greaves is expected to miss several weeks after suffering a knee injury in last weeks 36-28 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.ROME -- Serena Williams kept the crowd from being a factor in a 6-3, 6-0 victory over 10th-seeded home favourite Sara Errani to win the Italian Open for the third time Sunday. Errani was bidding to become the first Italian to win the tournament in nearly 30 years but the top-ranked Williams quickly took control in both sets and Errani appeared slowed by a left thigh problem. Errani left the court for an injury timeout while trailing 5-3 in the opening set and came back with her thigh bandaged. On the final point before she left the court, Errani pulled up and let a shot from Williams pass by her without even attempting to get to it. "Im sorry. You were unbelievable all week," Errani told fans during the victory ceremony, as she brushed back tears. "I tried to do my best and stayed on the court only for you." Williams other Rome titles came in 2002 and last year -- and she went on to win the French Open on both occasions. "Im also sorry for Sara today," Williams told the crowd in Italian. "She really played great all week." Later, seven-time champion Rafael Nadal was facing Novak Djokovic in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 meeting in the mens final of the last key clay-court tuneup for Roland Garros, which starts next weekend. A left thigh problem prompted Williams to withdraw before her quarterfinal match at the Madrid Open last week but now she appears back on track for the French. "Im not 100 per cent but Im just kind of going on adrenaline," Williams said. Organizers attempted to whip up patriotic fervour by having the Italian anthem sung before the players walked out onto the court, and fans continuously chanted "Sara, Sara" to try and encourage Errani in an atmosphere that more resembled a Davis Cup or Fed Cup setting.dddddddddddd But Williams jumped out to a 3-0 lead and while Errani had a few chances to get back into the first set, Williams overpowered the Italian with her serve -- she had seven aces to Erranis none -- and overall attacking game. Still, Errani could console herself by becoming the first Italian runner-up in the tournament since Raffaella Reggi took the 1985 title in Taranto. The last Italian man to win was Adriano Panatta back in 1976. When former Italian player Lea Pericoli asked Errani during the trophy presentation if she was "disappointed" with her showing, the crowd responded with boos and whistles. Pericoli then acknowledged that Erranis appearance in the final was an accomplishment by itself. Injury permitting, Errani was slated to play the doubles final later with partner Roberta Vinci against Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik. It was the 60th title of Williams career, and a large portion of those trophies have come in recent years for the 32-year-old American. Martina Navratilova holds the record with 167 titles and Williams needs seven more to match Billie Jean King for sixth place on the all-time list. "Im like a fine wine, I guess -- at least my tennis is," Williams said. "My game gets better with age." ' ' '