US Open 2016: Serena Williams holds most grand-slam wins, must defeat Angelique Kerber in quarter finals to keep No. 1 rank

Serena Williams is undeniably one of the most recognisable athletes in the word, let alone one of the more popular tennis players. And it is no wonder why, at the age of 34, she is still breaking records and sweeping her much younger competitors under the rug.

The record breaking win

On Sept. 5, Williams bagged her 308th grand slam win. This was in a 6-2, 6-3 match with Kasakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova, 28. In doing so, she took the record of most all-time grand slam victories from 35-year-old Roger Federer.

“Oh wow, it is really exciting, this is where it all started so it is always so magical out here for me, but 308 sounds pretty good,” Williams said after the US Open match.

Next in line for Williams is Simona Halep, 24, from Romania. Halep recently defeated 11th seeded Carla Suarez Navarro, 28, from Spain.

How long will Williams keep her top rank?

Williams’ win over Shvedova also bags her the record of longest time holding the No. 1 ranking -- 186 weeks --- which Williams shares with Steffi Graf. But Williams, like all other athletes, knows the difficulty it takes to keep a ranking that coveted. She herself has held and lost the title five times, her hold on it now being her 6th time.

Close on her tail is current 2nd-seed Angelique Kerber, who has also made her way to the quarter finals. According to ESPN, Williams will need to defeat Kerber to keep her ranking. But while the pressure may be heavy on the veteran player, 28-year-old Kerber is brushing it off.

"Actually it's easy," Kerber said after her latest victory on Sunday. “If one day it happens, it will happen and will be the best day. But it's still a long, long way to go. I'm now in the next round and that's what counts right now."