Serena thrashes Safina in Oz Open, takes No 1 rank

Serena Williams thrashed Russia's Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 to win her fourth Australian Open title today afternoon, bringing her total Grand Slam tally to 10 in one of the most one-sided deciders ever.

The win means the American, seeded second in the tournament, will also take the World No 1 ranking off Serb Jelena Jankovic.

Williams (27) utterly dominated third seed Safina, allowing her opponent to win only eight points in the first set on her way to claiming the championship in less than an hour.

The American also won the women's doubles title with her sister Venus on Friday and became the highest ever prize money winner in women's sport during the tournament.

Safina, contesting her second final in a Grand Slam after losing in last year's French Open decider, narrowly avoided entering the record books as being on the wrong end of the worst drubbing in a final in the tournament's history.

Only Steffi Graf in 1994 and Margaret Smith in 1962 have posted more comprehensive victories in the decider, both winning 6-0, 6-2.