Defending Finals MVP Breanna Stewart will be out with an injury for the Seattle Storm’s single-elimination playoff game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, but there’s no reason for 2020 champions to panic when they have a weapon like Jewell Loyd.

The All-Star point guard recently had a career-high 37 points against none other than Phoenix in Seattle’s last regular-season game on Sept. 17. The 94-85 win earned the Storm a bye to the second round of WNBA playoffs.

“She really understands who she is as a basketball player and within a game is trying to get to certain spots, trying to create certain space for herself,” said Storm guard Sue Bird. “I think that’s what was on display against Phoenix: just Jewell in her element, Jewell doing what she does best, and for me, when you see a player like Jewell doing that, you’re just trying to get her the ball.”

Loyd was drafted first overall by Seattle in 2015, coming to the league early after three years with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The 2021 season has been her best one yet, with the 27-year-old averaging 17.9 points, four rebounds and 3.8 assists. In the top WNBA scoring performances of the regular season, Loyd ranked first and third with her 37 points against the Mercury and 35 over the New York Liberty in August. Last week, she was named to Just Women’s Sports All-WNBA first team.

“The evolution of her is like watching her blossom into this beautiful butterfly,” said Seattle coach Noelle Quinn.

Quinn, who played as Loyd’s teammate on the Storm before retiring in 2018, expressed excitement for what’s to come for the young veteran.

“If you understand the evolution of Jewell, we know she can get a bucket,” said Quinn. “Now it’s just the growth in her leadership, the growth of defending on the other side of the floor and putting it all together in a package, and so in games like this, you want to rely on her ability to hit shots – we have to rely on that ability – but also we have to rely on her ability to get stops on the other end of the floor.”

Growth was a common word for both Quinn and Bird when talking about Loyd. The Lincolnwood, Ill. native is always looking for ways to keep building, even as she ascends to the top ranks of the WNBA.

Bird described the Storm’s recent game against the Mercury as a perfect example. After Loyd put up 22 points in the first quarter, there was a lull from both her and Seattle, which allowed Phoenix to cut into the Storm’s once-comfortable lead. In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Loyd rekindled her spark and showed up with another seven points, including a layup over Mercury star Brittney Griner that solidified Seattle’s win.

“She still was able to bounce right back and make a huge play,” said Bird. “That’s what you want to see in one of your go-to players.”

A gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Loyd’s been a game-changing player for the Storm and national squad all summer, but by competing on teams of so much depth, sometimes the standout moments get overshadowed.

“All of the things that she does within her, within our community, within our team, I think I will continue to vouch for her because I think a lot of times people undervalue her or not show her enough love, and I will always shout from the mountaintop how great she’s been and how she’s continued to grow,” said Quinn.

The Storm play the Mercury at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the winner moving on to the semi-finals against the Connecticut Sun or Las Vegas Aces.

Having lost three games to the Chicago Sky since mid-August, there is some relief for Seattle in the fact they are playing the Mercury, who they went 2-1 against through regular season. If No. 8 New York Liberty had defeated No. 5 Phoenix in the first round of playoffs, the Storm, set to play the higher seed, would have been facing the No. 6 Sky again on Sunday.

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

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Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

• No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.

• No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.