On Saturday, September 9, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys dueled in an all American US Open final in Flushing Meadows, New York. Stephens rolled over the 15th ranked Keys, beating her in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-0. This was Stephen's first major title and the first American woman who is not a Williams sister to claim the title in fifteen years. On the men's side, Spain’s Rafael Nadal beat South Africa's Kevin Anderson in 3 sets. This was Nadal’s third US Open championship and 16th major title. Nadal took home two major titles in a successful 2017 campaign.
Summer might be cooling down, but College Football is just heating up. Saturday marked the second week of the season and it brought competitive matchups across the College Football landscape. While eyes rested on the big ticket primetime games, a noon matchup may have brought the week's most exciting game: Iowa vs. Iowa State, a classic rivalry between inner state foes went into overtime with the Hawkeyes besting the Cyclones 44-41.
Meanwhile, in the marquee matchup of the night, Oklahoma cruised to a 31-16 victory over Ohio State. The Sooners offense erupted in the second half and Ohio State had no answer. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield had a terrific game, solidifying his place as a Heisman trophy frontrunner. In Death Valley, SC, reigning National Champion Clemson beat Auburn in a defensive battle 14-6. The Georgia Bulldogs represented the SEC well traveling to South Bend and defeating Notre Dame in a tight game, 20-19. Out west, USC trounced Stanford 42-24 in a game that had PAC 12 title game implications.
The NFL got underway this Thursday night with a statement win for the Kansas City Chiefs over the defending Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, winning 42-27. This is a shocking development for a team with expectations of an undefeated season and Super Bowl championship. In other first week action, the Los Angeles Rams trounced the Indianapolis Colts 46-9, displaying their potential. The Titans fought out a tough loss against the high powered Oakland Raiders, who are welcoming back one of the league’s most loved players in Marshawn Lynch. Reigning NFC champions, the Atlanta Falcons, got off on the right foot with a 23-17 victory over the Chicago Bears.
In local events, the Chattanooga Iron Man was a sporting success. The Ironman course consisted of a 1.2-mile swim in the Tennessee River, followed by a 56- mile bike ride, before ending with a half marathon in downtown Chattanooga. Spain’s Javier Gomez took home the win, with a total time of 3:49:44. Gomez is a regular in the pro-Iron Man circuit with his second Iron Man win in 3 years. The women’s side had Swiss champion Daniela Ryf winning with a time of 4:11:59. While this Ironman is great for the city of Chattanooga, it is comforting to know that people will be able to move around without delays.