Another great sporting weekend from all corners of the world meant we had a challenge in choosing the Play of the Week.. again! We had a few contenders but very few will argue with what we finally decided on. 

Many footballing fans got their rewards when Cristiano Ronaldo finally put on his red number 7 shirt for his former club Manchester United. The superstar, who recently broke the record for scoring most international goals ever made his much-anticipated debut and lived up to every expectation when he scored a brace in front of the Red Devils fans at Old Trafford.

As always, the comparison to Leo Messi is never too far away, the Argentinian also broke a record of his own when his country played Bolivia in the World Cup qualifier when he scored a hattrick that made him the highest goal scorer ever in South American footballing history, beating Brazil’s Pele who scored 77 goals, two less than Messi. 

Formula One is always full of twists and turns and the Italian Grand Prix was no different! The drama began in the qualifying sprint where Mercedes Benz driver Valtteri Bottas got penalised and had to start the race from the back. As if that wasn’t enough, during the race Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and champion Lewis Hamilton crashed at the second turn and had to abandon the race. This set up a different-looking podium and McLaren’s duo of Lando Norris and race winner Daniel Ricciardo took advantage! This was their first double-win since 2010 and Ricciardo’s first podium in three years!

But the Play of the Week goes to teen tennis sensation Emma Raducanu! The Great Britain star beat another talented teen, Canadian Leylah Fernandez in two sets of the US Open final. This was the first time in tennis history that both finalists were unseeded and the second time two teenagers competed in the final since 17 year old Serena Williams beat world number 1 Martina Hingis, who was 19 in their 1999 final of the #USOpen!

Emma was only taking part in her second Grand Slam ever, having crashed out of Wimbledon in the top 16. She won the US Open without dropping a single set and became the youngest brit to ever win a Grand Slam! She did this while being an A student! 

There’s a lot in common between the two tennis stars, both being born in Canada and having mothers of Asian background. The world of tennis is safely in good hands between these two, not to mention other stars like Japanese Naomi Osaka, who has taken some time off from the sport and American Coco Gauff!

Congratulations to Emma Raducanu, she gets our nod for Play of the Week! We cannot wait to see what Emma brings next as she matures in her game! For more sporting content, download My Sports Book app and register for free and catch us on the socials @MySportsBook_ZA.

Til next week; be a good sport, tell a friend.