NEW YORK --?Early in what would become a tight test of a U.S. Open final, Angelique Kerber sprinted forward to somehow reach a drop shot and scoop a down-the-line winner to a corner.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 _ Im 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 her 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 Kerber, a 28-year-old German 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, and Im just trying to enjoy every moment on court and also off court.Never a Grand Slam finalist before 2016, Kerber beat Williams for the Australian Open title in January, then lost to her in the Wimbledon final in July.On Saturday, the No. 2-seeded Kerber trailed by a break at 3-1 in the third set before coming back against Pliskova, a 24-year-old Czech who was seeded 10th and hadnt been past the third round at a major until this tournament.For sure, Kerber told Pliskova during the trophy ceremony, you have a great future.The present could not be brighter for the left-handed Kerber, the first woman from Germany to win the U.S. Open _ and to get to No. 1 _ since her idol and mentor, Steffi Graf.It was Pliskova who guaranteed Kerbers ascension in the rankings by beating Williams in the semifinals, ending her record-tying 186-week stay at the top, which began in February 2013.Kerber, who collected $3.5 million in prize money Saturday, lost to Pliskova the last time they met, just three weeks ago in the final of a hard-court tournament in Cincinnati.But at the outset of this final, it was Kerber who was in charge. Her defense is exemplary, scrambling along the baseline to put her racket on seemingly every ball, crouching so low that her knees would come close to scraping the ground.As she does against most opponents, Kerber would make Pliskova swing two, three, four extra times to try to end a point. And Pliskova was troubled by that in the early going, making 17 unforced errors in the first set alone, 14 more than Kerber. By the conclusion of the 2-hour, 7-minute final, Pliskova totaled 47 unforced errors, 30 more than Kerber.I was really trying to (stay) in the moment, Kerber said, trying to play my game, being aggressive.Kerber won the toss and elected to receive, perhaps for two reasons: Her serve is the biggest question mark in her otherwise solid game, and it made sense to force Pliskova to deal with an early test of nerves. Either way, the decision worked: Pliskova double-faulted on the matchs first point and got broken right from the get-go.There were plenty of lengthy exchanges in that first set, and Kerber tended to get the better of them, winning 9 of 14 points that lasted at least 10 strokes.But Pliskova hung in there. And after frittering away her first four break points of the match, she converted her fifth with a lob-volley winner that curled over Kerber and alit right by the baseline. Suddenly up 4-3 in the set, Pliskova turned to her coach up in the stands and yelled, pumping her fists.Now it was a match, filled with terrific points, tense moments and plenty of emotion. Pliskova served out the second set _ the only one dropped by Kerber all tournament _ and spiked a ball. Kerber got broken early in the third and bounced her racket off the court. Moments later, she trailed 3-1.But this was Kerbers turn to show some mettle, breaking back to 3-all and again to end it. She dropped on her back after the last point, then climbed into the stands to begin the celebration with her coach and others.She really proved shes the world No. 1, Pliskova told the fans. Then she addressed Kerber directly, saying: It was a great match, and Im very honored to play with you. Cheap Nike Free Nz Sale .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. Clearance Nike Free Nz . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. http://www.cheapnikefreenz.com/ .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Nike Free Nz Online . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Nike Free Cheap Nz Wholesale . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Patrick Dangerfield is a red-hot AFL Brownlow Medal favourite in a very grey mood.The star Geelong midfielder is one of the shortest-priced favourites in history ahead of Monday nights count.But the devastating preliminary final loss to Sydney last Friday night has taken the gloss off the function for Dangerfield, whatever happens.In a Sunday newspaper column, Dangerfield wrote extensively of his emotions after the Swans loss.At the end of his piece, he briefly mentioned the Brownlow and specifically the players who leave the function as quickly as possible because they are playing in the grand final the following Saturday.(It) is obviously a great award, but it doesnt bring with it what were all striving for - team success, Dangerfield wrote in the Sunday Herald Sun.Every year I have been envious of those players who you see get up as soon as the count finished and head straight out the door because they have bigger things happening.I desperately wanted to be one of them this year.The 26-year-old has had a dream season after his high-profile move from Adelaide to the Cats late last year under free agency.He made an immediate impact, starring against Hawthorn in round one, and has not let up since.Dangerfield was also high among Geelongs best in the preliminary final loss.The onballer has won every major player award this season.He dominated tthe AFL players association award - voted on by his peers - much the same as last years Brownlow winner Nat Fyfe.ddddddddddddIt would be one of the biggest shocks in Brownlow history if Dangerfield does not win outright or share first place.As always, the potential problem is a teammate robbing Dangerfield of votes and there is an obvious candidate.Cats captain Joel Selwood and Dangerfield have been so prominent for Geelong this season, they are nicknamed Dangerwood.Other players with strong claims included Richmonds Dustin Martin, Western Bulldogs young gun Marcus Bontempelli and Hawthorns perennial contender Sam Mitchell.As a non-Victorian grand final team, Sydney players will not come to Melbourne for the count.They will instead attend a club function in their home city.Luke Parker, Josh Kennedy and Dan Hannebery are all favourites.There are precedents for a grand final team full of medal contenders to snare the Brownlow.Jimmy Bartel caused a boilover when he won the medal in 2007, the year Geelong broke their premiership drought, ahead of teammate Gary Ablett.Jason Akermanis (2001) and Simon Black (2002) were members of the Brisbane Fab Four midfield who won the Brownlow in the Lions premiership three-peat era. 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