Emma Raducanu provided the drama 12 months ago – now more late-night thrills and spills are in store

After Rory McIlroy’s FedEx Cup magic, the attention of sleep-deprived fans in the UK turns to the British teenager’s US Open title defence, writes Jack Rathborn

Emma Raducanu in a practice session at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (Getty)

It was past 10pm on Sunday night in the UK when Rory McIlroy drained a glorious putt on the 15th hole at East Lake Golf Club on the outskirts of Atlanta. The birdie maintained a one-stroke lead and provided a bolt of energy to anybody clasping the remote in hope of an early night as the Northern Irishman marched towards a third FedEx Cup title and the $18m (£15.4m) jackpot.

As McIlroy dazzled, Scottie Scheffler, who had pulled on the green jacket less than five months earlier nearby in Georgia to become the Masters champion, stumbled. A tour under siege from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf and yet, when it needed it most, the season-ending finale delivered fireworks. Enough to reward the loyalty of those staying up on the other side of the pond, eagerly expecting a rare shot of the sport at its purest amid the unsavoury bickering and courtroom antics prompted by this civil war.

But Sunday night was just another example of the dilemma sports fans routinely face, while it is another example of the challenges facing the media to cover sport around the clock.