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A32 sports
Diasabra 18 september 2021

Raducanu back in Britain and in demand after US Open win

met Hamilton there. all the normal things and still
Watching the final for the first achieve results.”
time on Thursday — the day “He is such a great inspira-
she returned to Britain after a tion,” she said. Raducanu, who has also spo-
whirlwind few days in New ken to British Prime Minis-
York — and trying to relive a The same can now be said of ter Boris Johnson over the
few of the moments from her the down-to-earth Raduca- phone, said she slept almost
6-4, 6-3 win over Canadian nu, who had taken 18 months the entire day after getting
opponent Leylah Fernandez off from tennis to finish her back home to England and
made it all sink in a bit more. high school education be- that she wanted to switch off
cause her parents wanted her after a grueling two months.
Almost. to have something to fall back That included a three-week
on. One of the subjects she U.S. Open campaign — a
“When I was watching it, it studied was economics and week of qualifying and then
almost feels like that that’s her parents work in finance, a main-draw run in which
not me who is playing, who explaining why the trip to the she didn’t drop a set to be-
(AP) - She’s been on is pulling off some of those NYSE meant so much. come the first player to win a
American talk shows, at- Emma Raducanu’s life has shots,” she told the BBC. Grand Slam as a qualifier and
tended the Met Gala, been turned upside down The message she wants to the youngest major winner
ticked off a “bucket list” since winning the U.S. Open Her win on Saturday turned get across is: Dream big and since 2004.
item by visiting the New title as an 18-year-old quali- her into a superstar over- work hard, no matter what
York Stock Exchange, and fier and, nearly a week later, night, putting her in demand your background is. So, when will the world
chatted to Formula One she’s still struggling to get in the United States. next see Raducanu on a ten-
champion Lewis Hamil- to grips with what has hap- “Even if it’s not tennis, even nis court? She doesn’t really
ton — a major deal for a pened. Everyone wanted a piece of if it’s other dreams like in know yet — her jump of 127
big motorsports fan. her, with Chanel inviting her school and being a doctor or spots to No. 23 in the rank-
“Sometimes,” she said Friday, to the Met Gala, where she anything like that — dream ings means she has to revisit
As for top soccer coach Ju- “I just have random bursts joined a throbbing crowd of big and anything can hap- her schedule — but she is
rgen Klopp, who manages where I think, ‘Oh my God, I celebrities and fashion de- pen,” she told Sky Sports. targeting an appearance at the
Premier League team Liver- just won the U.S. Open,’ and signers in New York. That “And for tennis, I just want to tournament in Indian Wells
pool, he has described her as then I go about as normal as was her highlight of the past get across you can be a nor- from Oct. 6-17.
the “talent of the century.” if nothing has happened.” few days, especially since she mal kid, go to school, have

Hendrick stars dodging playoff elimination at Bristol

(AP) - A surprisingly The .533-mile concrete bull- Bristol in the spring, but that something goes wrong and his Front Row Motorsports
strong start to the play- ring in northeast Tennessee race was run on dirt and de- we don’t make it to the next team is the underdog and its
offs for Joe Gibbs Racing can be a beast with progres- layed a day by dangerous rain round, there are still more showed.
— two races, two wins and sive banking that goes from and flooding. opportunities for us to win
two drivers locked into 24 to 28 degrees on a racing races this year.” A crash to open the playoffs at
the second round — has surface just 40 feet wide. Still, Bowman said he’s con- Darlington and three speed-
put Hendrick Motors- fident at Bristol and has faith MCDOWELL MIRACLE ing penalties and a 24th-place
ports in a precarious posi- It’s tight quarters, traffic can in the No. 48 team. finish at Richmond has Mc-
tion headed into the first often be an impediment, and It would take an upset not Dowell last in the standings
elimination race. lack of patience or loss of “I don’t think there’s a sense unlike his stunning Daytona and in need of another im-
tempers can easily alter the of urgency (but) I don’t think 500 victory for Michael Mc- probable victory to advance.
Alex Bowman and William outcome. we expected to be in this sit- Dowell to advance out of the He likes Bristol, but in 21
Byron both start Saturday uation,” Bowman said. “We first round. career starts has an average
night’s race at Bristol Motor Byron called Bristol a playoff know we need to go execute finish of 30th.
Speedway below the cutline, track with “the most oppor- and go have a good day. We McDowell’s shock victory
and reigning series champion tunity for mistakes and the know it’s not going to be easy to win NASCAR’s season- He was 10th on the dirt this
Chase Elliott isn’t breathing biggest opportunity for suc- by any means. opening version of the Su- spring, 14th a year ago.
any easier than his Hendrick cess.” per Bowl earned him his
teammates. “But we also know that if first career playoff berth, but
“There’s not much differ-
Elliott is only 19 points to the ence between the good cars
good, which means a poor and the bad ones,” Byron
finish could make for a fast continued. “It’s a very tough
ending to his attempt at re- place to get around. It’s just
peating as Cup champion. the most unpredictable race
Four drivers will be cut from of the (first) round.”
the 16-driver field after the
race, and only Hendrick driv- Bowman is 13th in the stand-
er and regular-season cham- ings, the first driver below
pion Kyle Larson, as well as the cutline, but technically
Denny Hamlin and Martin tied with Kurt Busch for
Truex Jr. on consecutive play- 12th. Bowman has won a ca-
off-opening JGR wins, have reer-high three races this sea-
secured spots in the second son, which at the start of the
round. playoffs tied him with Truex
Jr. and Ryan Blaney with sec-
But the field is at least tight — ond most to Larson’s Cup-
only 30 points separate Kevin leading five victories.
Harvick in sixth from Tyler
Reddick in 14th — and Bris- But he’s not been good
tol is the kind of track that enough through the first two
can totally flip the standings. playoff races. He was sixth at