The opening round of the 2026 Unrivaled 1v1 tournament did not miss, as Wednesday's 11 matchups — including four upsets — loaded the bracket for Friday night's knockout slate.
Unrivaled rookie No. 6-seed Sonia Citron started the upsets with a splashy 12-10 win over No. 3 Marina Mabrey, before No. 7 Rae Burrell got past No. 2 Rhyne Howard 12-9 and No. 6 Shakira Austin topped No. 3 Dearica Hamby 12-10.
The most dramatic matchup of Wednesday's first round starred 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player and Unrivaled 1v1 No. 5-seed Veronica Burton, who upset a stunned No. 4 Courtney Williams in a 11-0 shutout.
The competition's No. 1 seeds saw a chalkier path, with Paige Bueckers ousting Kate Martin 12-5, Breanna Stewart handling Li Yueru 11-6, and Kelsey Mitchel downing Rachel Banham 12-3.
Friday's bill kicks off with eight second-round showdowns before the quarterfinals narrow the pool down to four contenders, who will face-off in Saturday's semifinals ahead of a best-of-three final round to crown Unrivaled's new 1v1 champion.
The second round is full of top-tier matchups, including Bueckers squaring off against Dallas Wings teammate Arike Ogunbowale, Stewart taking on fellow big Aliyah Boston, and Austin facing defending 1v1 runner-up Aaliyah Edwards — as well as an underdog clash between Citron and Burrell.
How to watch the 2026 Unrivaled 1v1 tournament this weekend
The 1v1 tournament's second round tips off at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with the semifinals and finals taking the Miami court at 6 PM ET on Saturday.
All Unrivaled 1v1 games will air live on TNT.
