So many changes seem to come BrE from the US but I suspect this is home-grown. "Fortuitous" seems to have replaced the plainer "lucky" or even "fortunate", at least in the vocabulary of many media reporters, and not just in the area of sport. Is the idea of "by coincidence" being lost in that of good fortune or luck?
Perhaps a US reader would comment and let me know if this is happening in AmE, too?