Digest: Kerber wins US Open for 2nd major title
tennis: Early in what would become a tight test of a U.S. Open final in New York, Angelique Kerber sprinted forward to somehow reach a drop shot and scoop a down-the-line winner that landed in a corner of the court.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd roared, and Kerber celebrated by raising her right hand and wagging her index finger in the air, as if to remind opponent Karolina Pliskova – and everyone else – “I’m No. 1!”
Yes, she is. And a two-time Grand Slam champion, too.
Kerber won her first U.S. Open title and the second major trophy of an out-of-nowhere breakthrough season, taking five of the last six games to beat a fading Pliskova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday.
“It means a lot to me. When I was a kid, I was always dreaming to one day be the No. 1 player in the world, to win Grand Slams,” said the 28-year-old Kerber, who will move up one spot from No. 2 and replace Serena Williams atop the WTA rankings on Monday. “I mean, all the dreams came true this year.”
Never a Grand Slam finalist before 2016, Kerber beat Williams for the Australian Open title in January, then was the runner-up to her at Wimbledon in July. Adding the championship at Flushing Meadows was further proof that all of the changes Kerber has made are paying off.
Johnson seizes control in BMW
Golf: U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson ran off four birdies in his last five holes for a 4-under 68, giving him a three-shot lead going into the final round of the soggy BMW Championship in Carmel, Indiana.
Johnson couldn’t make any putts early. He couldn’t miss late.
His late run to seize control began with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole and ended with an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
Paul Casey did his best to stay with him. Casey, coming off a runner-up finish on Labor Day at the TPC Boston, matched two of Johnson’s birdies during his late run until he had to scramble for pars on the last two holes. He still managed a bogey-free 68 and will be in the final group Sunday.
Man City wins Manchester derby
soccer: It was bad enough for Jose Mourinho that his first Manchester derby ended in defeat.
That the architects of the loss were Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne might have been even tougher for the Manchester United manager to digest.
In a resumption of the often-feisty rivalry between soccer’s two most coveted coaches, Guardiola got the better of Mourinho as Man City beat Man United 2-1 in Manchester, England at the biggest match of the English Premier League so far.
City’s fourth straight win to open the season was inspired by De Bruyne, a player deemed not good enough and discarded by Mourinho when both were at Chelsea.
De Bruyne scored the opening goal in the 15th minute and played a big role in the second goal in the 36th, sending in a shot that thumped the post and rebounded back to Kelechi Iheanacho to tap in.
Canada beats US 5-2 in exhibition game
Hockey: New York Islanders star John Tavares scored twice to lead Canada to a 5-2 victory over the United States in a World Cup of Hockey exhibition game in Ottawa, Ontario.
Logan Couture, Jay Bouwmeester and Matt Duchene also scored for Canada. Braden Holtby allowed two goals on 13 shots, and Corey Crawford faced 10 shots in 26:28 of ice time.
Ryan McDonagh and John Carlson scored for the U.S. Cory Schneider started the game and allowed four goals on 24 shots, and Ben Bishop, who came in for the third period, allowed one goal on 14 shots.
The U.S. beat Canada 4-2 on Friday night in Columbus, Ohio.
Gonzalez wins slugfest with Cuadras
Boxing: Roman Gonzalez won a world championship in his fourth weight class, taking a unanimous decision over Carlos Cuadras to claim the WBC 115-pound title belt in Inglewood, California.
The Nicaraguan pound-for-pound star better known as Chocolatito persevered through a brutal slugfest with Cuadras, who was outstanding on the biggest stage of his career. The fighters traded big shots and frenetic flurries for 12 rounds, but Gonzalez’s remarkable skills earned the victory on all three cards, 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.
Golovkin stops Brook in 5th round: World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin fought off the ambitious challenge to his supremacy from Kell Brook with a fifth-round stoppage in London.
Brook’s corner threw in the towel after the welterweight champion, who stepped up two weight classes to face Golovkin, faded against the formidable Kazakh, who improved his record to 36-0.
“I’m a warrior,” Brook said. “I want to carry on. I was ready to fight on. Anyone who trains with me knows that.”
Quintana protects lead at Spanish Vuelta
Miscellany: Nairo Quintana is poised to win the Spanish Vuelta after protecting his lead over Chris Froome in a grueling penultimate stage in the southern mountains of Alto De Aitana, Spain.
Barring an accident or incident on the final stage’s traditional arrival in Madrid, the Colombian riding for Movistar will add the Vuelta to the 2014 Giro d’Italia on his Grand Tour list of honors.
Pierre-Roger Latour of France won the 193-kilometer (120-mile) stage traversing three category-two ascents from Benidorm to a special-category finish at the Alto de Aitana summit in over five hours.
Comfort wins Belmont’s Seattle Slew Stakes: Comfort, the odds-on favorite, took the $100,000 Seattle Slew Stakes by a nose at Belmont Park in New York.
The 2-5 choice ridden by John Velazquez prevailed over Touchofstarquality in the photo finish.
The 4-year-old colt trained by Todd Pletcher has found his best stride this season with three wins and a second in four starts. The lone loss was last month in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga to Frosted, the leading older dirt runner on the East Coast.Former pro wrestling superstar CM Punk’s debut in mixed martial arts lasted just over two minutes.
CM Punk pounded in UFC debut: Former pro wrestling superstar CM Punk’s debut in mixed martial arts lasted just over two minutes.
Punk, who left WWE two years ago to try his hand in ultimate fighting, tapped out after he was pummeled and choked by Mickey Gall in the first round of the UFC 203 undercard in Cleveland.
The 38-year-old Punk was on his back less than 10 seconds into the fight. He was unable to get out from under Gall, who landed numerous blows to both sides of Punk’s head