Serena Williams Sets Grand Slam Wins Record, Passes Federer

Serena Williams set a record for Grand Slam wins with her 308th, passing Roger Federer for most all-time. Her fourth round victory over Yaroslava Shvedova, which came 6-2, 6-3 on Monday at the U.S. Open, pushed her past Federer into sole possession of first. She had taken second place with win 307, breaking a tie with Martina Navratilova. “Three hundred eight sounds pretty good,’’ Williams said post-match. “I think it’s really exciting. Winning 308 matches in general is pretty awesome. For that to be Grand Slam is pretty cool." Most impressive is that Williams shows no signs of slowing, even at 34. She's barely broken a sweat in dispatching her first few opponents, and likely won't face a stiff test from fifth-seed Simona Halep when the pair face off in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Should Williams win the open, she'll pass Steffi Graf with 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Though that would itself be a record during the open era, it ignores the history of women's tennis before women were allowed pro status in the 1960s. The truly coveted record is by Margaret Court, who won about half of her 24 Grand Slams during the amateur era.