The American blitzed the No. 3 seed 6-0 6-3 in under an hour, smacking 23 winners and four aces while committing just seven unforced errors.
From the first point, Williams looked amazingly sharp, her groundstrokes grooved, serve dominant and return devastating.
“I definitely think it was one of my most dominant performances, especially considering it was a final. I was able to just lift the level of my game,” she said.
Safina had no answer to Williams’ all-court power, and could only watch as 12 winners whistled by her in the first set.
“I felt like I was in control from the third game. I felt like I was in control from my serve. I always try to hold serve when I start out,” Williams reflected.
“You know, when [Safina] lost serve in her opening game after having a few chances to hold, I got a little more confident off that a lot.”
Williams had already raced ahead 5-0 within 18 minutes when the Russian No. 3 seed decided to change her approach, attacking the net in the sixth game in a bid to disrupt the American’s momentum.
It was a tactic that failed to pay dividends – she only one won point in that game as Williams took the opening stanza in 22 minutes.
When asked why she was so dominant, Williams said it was her game plan that paid dividends.
“I definitely had a plan coming out there. I feel like if I play that way, traditionally I always am able to do well,” she said.
Safina was thankfully more competitive in the second set, clinching an unlikely break to move ahead 1-0 - her first lead of any kind during the match.
Her advantage was dishearteningly short-lived, however, as Williams broke back immediately and went on to hold for a 2-1 lead.
Safina was completely shell-shocked, and her game responded accordingly – she committed further double faults and errors to hand the American a 4-1 lead, and in just 44 minutes, the match was rapidly nearing a close.
To her credit, the Russian held firm in her subsequent service game, holding after a battle in the eighth game to force Williams to serve for the title.
As expected, the American wasted little time, serving out the final game to love and clinching the tournament after Safina attempted a drop shot on match point that landed just wide of the sideline.
It was a performance reminiscent of Williams’ annihilation of Maria Sharapova in the 2007 Melbourne Park final, and she joyously headed over to her player’s box to celebrate with her tight-knit entourage.
“I’m so excited to win, because I wanted to win, and I feel like I needed to win,” she said.
“I wanted to get to 10 [Grand Slam singles titles] … You never know what happens in life. I feel like, you know, opportunities sometimes don't present themselves twice … But I felt like this was my chance to take it and run with it.”
Williams now ascends to world No. 1 following the win, but said worrying about her ranking was not her top priority.
“I actually forgot until the end when I was saying ‘hi’ to my box. They're like, ‘Hey, you're No. 1. I was like, Oh, yeah’,” she said.
“I always believe I'm the best, whether I'm No. 1 or whether I'm (number) 100. [But] just having that extra bonus is pretty cool.”
Quick facts
The first set lasted 22 minutes, with Safina winning just eight points
Williams won 95 per cent of points when she landed her first serve (20-for-21)
Safina had 21 unforced errors, while Williams had seven
The Russian won just seven of 37 points on the Williams serve
Williams converted five of six break point opportunities
