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 Giants Jerseys . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Giants Jerseys China .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. http://www.customsfgiantsjersey.com/ . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Cheap Custom Giants Jersey . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. Custom Mel Ott Jersey . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. MADRID -- Zinedine Zidane has matched another feat by Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.With two first-half goals by Cristiano Ronaldo, Zidanes Madrid defeated Sporting Gijon 2-1 in the Spanish league on Saturday to equal the 31-game unbeaten run by Ancelottis team in the 2013-14 season.Zidane already matched the former Madrid manager by winning the Champions League last season, a title Ancelotti won with the Spanish powerhouse in 2014, when Zidane was an assistant coach.This is positive, but its not my individual achievement, Zidane said. Its an achievement by the whole team. You have to congratulate the players on these numbers.Saturdays win in pouring rain at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium -- thanks in part to a late penalty kick missed by Sporting -- also gave Madrid a six-point lead over Sevilla, which jumped to second place by defeating Valencia 2-1. Third-place Barcelona plays on Sunday at fifth-place Real Sociedad to try to get back within four points of Madrid before their clasico next week at Camp Nou.Madrid, which has won six in a row in the league, hasnt been defeated since April at Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals of last seasons Champions League. It has won 23 games since then.Madrids all-time unbeaten run of 34 games was under coach Leo Beenhakker in the 1988-89 season. Barcelona holds the unbeaten record in Spain of 39 consecutive games last season, a streak that ended with a defeat to Madrid.Madrid was heavily favored against Sporting, which had lost seven of its previous nine league games.The hosts got off to a good start as Ronaldo -- who had a hat trick against Atletico Madrid in last weekends derby -- scored from the penalty spot in the fifth minute and from a header in the 18th.Sporting pulled one closer through Carlos Carmona in the 35th and had chances to equalize in the second half. The best one came with Duje Cops shot from the penalty spot but the ball sailed high and wide.We can be happy with the three points but we cant be happy with the performance of our team, Zidane said. We let the gaame become difficult for us.ddddddddddddSporting, which hasnt won since the third round, is 18th in the 20-team standings.It was Madrids first game since losing Gareth Bale because of a right ankle injury that is expected to sideline him for at least two months. Zidane used Lucas Vazquez in the attack beside Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.Elsewhere:SEVILLA 2, VALENCIA 1Defender Nicolas Pareja scored in the 75th minute to give host Sevilla its second consecutive victory and keep Valencia winless for a fifth straight game.Valencia had a great chance in the fourth minute of stoppage time but Jose Gayas close-range shot was brilliantly saved by Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico.The result kept former Italy coach Cesare Prandelli with only one victory in six games since taking the helm of the traditional Spanish club in October. Following a 2-1 win in Prandellis debut against Sporting Gijon, Valencia has lost three times and drawn twice.Valencia is 16th in the standings, two points above the relegation zone.MALAGA 4, DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA 3Substitute midfielder Javi Ontiveros scored two minutes into second-half injury time to give Malaga its fifth straight win at home and extend Deportivo La Corunas winless streak to six games.Deportivo scored first just four minutes into the thrilling match, but it needed two late goals to even the match after conceding three. Its effort proved fruitless as Ontiveros netted the late winner.Malagas second goal was a superb right-footed free kick shot by former Barcelona player Sandro Ramirez.Malaga, coming off a 0-0 draw against Barcelona in the Camp Nou, moved to ninth place, while Deportivo -- yet to win an away game -- remained 17th.ESPANYOL 3, LEGANES 0Forward Gerard Moreno scored in the first half and striker Pablo Piatti netted twice in the second as Espanyol extended its unbeaten run to seven matches.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni ' ' '