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Many regattas ago, when Jimmy Spithill had not yet won the grandest prize in yachting, one of his mentors, the Australian Syd Fischer, gave him words to sail by. “Syd used to say to me when something was going good, ‘Be careful,’ ” Spithill said, “ ‘because you can be a rooster one day and a feather duster the next.’ ” A sailor had to be careful indeed in the 34th America’s Cup, which generated historically fast speeds and risks in carbon-fiber foiling catamarans that bore a greater resemblance to flying machines than boats. But while it once looked all but certain that Spithill, the Oracle Team USA skipper and helmsman, and his crew mates were going to end up as feather dusters in San Francisco, they were ultimately able to turn Fischer’s catchphrase on its head, pulling off the greatest comeback in America’s Cup history and one of the most dramatic in any sport. Video | The Sailors and Their Flying Machines This year’s America’s Cup vessels are more flying machines than yac...

Serena Williams retained her U.S. Open title with a hard-fought 7-5 6-7 6-1 victory over Victoria Azarenka in an gripping final at Flushing Meadows Sunday. The World No.1 was thoroughly extended by Azarenka before clinching her 17th grand slam crown in two hours 45 minutes of enthralling action on a windswept Arthur Ashe Stadium Court. Williams, who twice served for the championship in the second set, made no mistake at 5-1 in the decider, taking advantage of her second match point when her opponent from Belarus hit long. It ended brave resistance from the second seed, who had trailed by two breaks of service in the second set before hitting back to win a tense tiebreaker 8-6. Fifth title in New York But Serena was not to be denied her fifth U.S. Open title, opening up a double break advantage in the third set, which this time she was not to relinquish. At 31 she is the the oldest winner of the hard court grand slam in the Open era and acknowledged just how tough a match she had ...