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. Wholesale Vans Online . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. Cheap Vans Free Shipping . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. http://www.cheapshoesvans.com/ . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Cheap Shoes From China .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. Clearance Vans Shoes .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers.MIAMI -- Rookie left-hander Tyler Lyons will remain in the St. Louis Cardinals rotation, edging out rookie right-hander Michael Wacha, who was optioned Friday to Triple-A Memphis. The Cardinals had to choose between the two with the return of right-hander Jake Westbrook. He had been on the disabled list since June 9 with elbow inflammation, and was activated as expected to start Friday at Miami. Wacha, 22, made a rapid ascent after pitching last year for Texas A&M, joining the Cardinals for three starts. Lyons is three years older and has more professional experience, which was a factor in the decision, mmanager Mike Matheny said.dddddddddddd "You cant forget -- Wacha was in college a year ago," Matheny said. "Its nice having that left-hander in the rotation. It has been nice to watch Tyler do his thing. He has been very efficient and given us a chance when he has been out there. Michael did a great job too, but right now its a better fit for Tyler." Lyons, who will start Sunday against the Marlins, is 2-2 with a 3.51 ERA in four games. Wacha went 1-0 with an ERA of 4.58. Wachas return to the minors will give him a chance to improve command of his fastball, Matheny said. ' ' '