The Minnesota Lynx gave a strong second-half performance on Monday, beating Nigeria 88-79 to notch a second preseason win — and bring pro women's basketball back to Kansas City.
The Lynx vs. Nigeria matchup stayed close through the first half. However, Minnesota took control in the third quarter before holding then edge in the fourth to close out the nine-point win.
In front of 6,510 fans, the game offered an early look at how the Lynx might blend its veteran core with its rookie additions.
Courtney Williams led Minnesota with 17 points, while No. 2 draft pick Olivia Miles added 11 points, five rebounds, and five assists over 19 minutes of playing time.
While captain Napheesa Collier remains sidelined with an ankle injury, fans were equally excited to see this year's second overall pick in action — and to welcome the WNBA back to town.
Monday marked the WNBA's first game in the Midwestern city in two decades, adding another layer to an exhibition that already served as an important preseason test.
The moment was not lost on Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.
"Being here in Kansas City, I’m giddy about it, because I like being here," Reeve told the Kansas City Star. "I hope that this is a sports town that gets professional sports if they want it, and hopefully they support it."
How to Watch the Minnesota Lynx in WNBA Preseason
The four-time WNBA champions wrap up WNBA preseason play on Friday against the Toronto Tempo in Minneapolis, free on WNBA League Pass.
The Lynx subsequently tip off regular-season play against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, May 10th at 7 PM ET, live on Victory+.
Georgia gymnastics has restructured it's coaching staff, officially naming Cécile Canqueteau-Landi the program's sole head coach.
The move comes after Canqueteau-Landi spent the past two seasons as co-head coach with Ryan Roberts, helping lead the GymDogs back to the National Semifinals for the first time in seven seasons.
"We are thrilled to announce Cécile Canqueteau-Landi as the head coach of Georgia gymnastics," athletic director Josh Brooks said in a team statement.
"Cécile has done a tremendous job leading our program back to national prominence, and we are excited about the next chapter of Georgia gymnastics under her continued leadership."
Canqueteau-Landi arrived in Athens in 2024 after coaching some of the sport's biggest names, including Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, and Maddie Kocian. Her resume includes coaching athletes to 11 Olympic medals across three Summer Games while earning 2024 Gymnastics Coach of the Year honors.
She also helped guide Team USA to Olympic gold while mentoring 13 senior national team members.
In Georgia, Canqueteau-Landi co-led the team to a 24-11 overall and 5-3 conference finish, tying for third in the SEC standings with 18 wins over Top 25 opponents. Furthermore, Georgia gymnastics finished with a 197.391 NQS — its best national finish since 2014 and best NQS since 2008's 197.400.
Up Next for Georgia Gymnastics Under Coach Canqueteau-Landi
The focus now shifts from restoring momentum to sustaining it.
After falling short of the 2026 NCAA final, Georgia gymnastics coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi enters next season pushing the GymDogs deeper into championship contention.
Dallas Wings gaurd Paige Bueckers made one thing clear as attention around her WNBA reunion with former UConn teammate and No. 1 draft pick Azzi Fudd grows: She wants the focus on basketball.
Bueckers addressed her relationship with Fudd at Dallas Wings media day, redirecting the conversation before reporters could ask questions.
"Azzi Fudd was a No. 1 draft pick because she earned it," Bueckers said. "It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with who she is as a human being, who she is a basketball player, her resilience, her strength and her career-best year at UConn."
The two share years of history on the court as former UConn women's basketball teammates and 2025 national champions. Now, Bueckers is pushing back on any media attention that overshadows Fudd's unique impact on and off the court.
"Azzi is her own great individual person, and she should be celebrated as such," she added.
The 24-year-old also stated she won't continue answering questions about their personal relationship. Instead, she plans to focus on basketball and the rest of her Dallas Wings teammates.
Fudd left UConn shooting 42.2% from 3-point range and 92.5% from the free-throw line. She additionally averaged 14.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game across 115 NCAA appearances.
When asked about her relationship with Bueckers in an interview with Dallas's ABC affiliate WFAA, Fudd described how she felt about being reunited with her fellow Husky guard.
"So special," she said. "Here I am, no control in where I get drafted, and I get to play with my best friend again. So it really is special."
Natasha Cloud remains one of the top unsigned players left in WNBA free agency — and New York Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb made that much clear this week.
With Cloud still unsigned as training camps open, Kolb publicly praised the veteran guard for her contributions on and off the court.
“She’s a phenomenal basketball player,” Kolb said at his annual preseason news conference. “She belongs in the WNBA.”
The comments came as questions surround Cloud's free agency, particularly after New York's pursuit of Satou Sabally effectively closed the door on a Liberty return. Reports indicated Cloud's return would likely have required a reduced role and pay cut, while the Liberty prioritized roster flexibility elsewhere.
Still, Kolb clarified that the decision wasn't a reflection of Cloud's value of a player or person.
“I just want to make that clear: What really happened here, for us, really wasn’t about fit,” Kolb said. “It’s about our targets in free agency and the condensed nature of free agency, how quickly things really move.”
The 10-year WNBA veteran averaged 10.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 2025 while helping New York get to a franchise-best 9-0 start.
“Tash is amazing. Look at what she did, she’s a New York legend in one year here because of who she is off the floor, but also on it,” Kolb added.
Cloud has built a reputation as an elite defender, organizer, and veteran leader — qualities that carry a lot of value for both title contenders and developing teams.
While there is no resolution on where she lands next, one thing seems to be clear: New York and Kolb still believe Cloud belongs on a roster.
Aryna Sabalenka looked close to a Madrid Open exit, before flipping the script to defeat Japanese fan favorite Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
The world No. 1 rallied from a set down to oust Osaka 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours, 20 minutes.
However, for much of the first hour, Osaka looked in control.
She took the opening set in a dominant tiebreak and pressured Sabalenka early in the second as the two traded heavy baseline exchanges.
"I think I just dropped my level at the end of the first set and gave her that tiebreak quite easily," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview.
From there, the match shifted.
Sabalenka settled into longer rallies, improved her depth, and began attacking Osaka's second serve. Once she leveled the match, she carried that momentum into the third set.
Playing some of her strongest tennis in months, Osaka pushed the Belarusian in ways few opponents have this season.
"Oh my God, that was incredible level," Sabalenka said afterwards. "She played incredible tennis. I feel like I just got lucky in a couple shots in the third set, that's why it went that fast."
How to Watch Aryna Sabalenka at the 2026 Madrid Open
The win marked Sabalenka's 15th straight victory, building momentum as she chases a fourth Madrid title.
"Overall I'm happy with my performance," she said. "When someone put me under pressure, I was able to pull out really incredible shots and incredible tennis. So I'm happy. I'm happy that she actually brought that fight, just so I could fight through it, I could struggle a little bit, and find a solution in the match."
Sabalenka now faces No. 32 Hailey Baptiste in Tuesday's Madrid Open quarterfinal, live on The Tennis Channel.
Nelly Korda left this year's Chevron Championship with more than just another major title.
With her victory at the season's first major, Korda earned two points toward the LPGA Hall of Fame, moving within five points of automatic qualification.
Sunday's win marked Korda's third career major and second Chevron Championship title. It also brought her one step closer to reaching one of golf's biggest career milestones.
Korda won the Chevron Championship by five shots over Thailand's Patty Tavantanakit and China's Ruoning Yin, finishing at 18-under at Memorial Park Golf Course.
LPGA Hall of Fame qualification is based on a points system tied to major titles, tournament wins, player of the year honors, and other awards. Korda has now racked up 22 points — five shy of the 27 needed for induction.
Hall of Fame qualification usually doesn't come until later in a player's career, while only 35 women's golfers have earned LPGA Hall of Fame status. At just 27, Nelly Korda's name is already part of those conversations.
Korda had earned 10 points entering the 2024 LPGA season. That included her gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, eight LPGA victories, and her first major title at the 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
She nearly doubled that number in 2024. Korda won seven titles, including her first Chevron Championship, while earning Rolex Player of the Year honors. She subsequently gained nine additional Hall of Fame points.
Now, she has added three more points in 2026: one for her win earlier this season at the Tournament of Champions and two more at Chevron.
Of course, being five points away doesn't guarantee a speedy induction. However, it does change the framing around Korda's budding season. And with the LPGA's major calendar just beginning, she has several more chances ahead to close that gap.
Sophie Cunningham says the WNBA's new CBA does not change her plans with Project B, calling her commitment to the new offseason league a "no-brainer."
Cunningham signed a one-year, $665,000 deal with Indiana this month, subsequently benefiting from one of the most significant CBAs in league history. The agreement raises the salary cap from $1.5 million to $7 million, with average salaries projected to top $600,000 in 2026.
Still, Cunningham said the financial opportunity with Project B remains too good to pass up.
Speaking with Front Office Sports ahead of the Fever’s April 25th preseason game against the New York Liberty, Cunningham explained why she intended to stick with the commitment she made to Project B last November.
"When they’re offering that type of money, plus the signing bonus, plus having equity in the company, it’s a no-brainer," Cunningham said.
The 5-on-5 venture is reportedly offering players seven-figure paydays starting at $2 million. That's in addition to equity.
"I have financially smart people around me. And they’re like, 'You got to do it. Your body’s got to suck it up,'" Cunningham continued.
"When companies pour into us, they really see our value. That’s not just on the basketball court, that’s just in life as a businesswoman."
But even with the WNBA's expected 600% salary increase, Cunningham cited the international venture's broader impact.
Front Office Sports reported that Cunningham's Project B deal is worth around $2 million annually, in addition to her equity. That figure exceeds the new WNBA supermax of $1.4 million.
For Cunningham, that made staying committed an easy decision.
However, her Project B plans won't affect her plans with the Fever. The 29-year-old is entering her eighth WNBA season, spending her first six years with Phoenix before joining Indiana in 2025.
Cunningham averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists last season before an MCL injury ended her year early.
American Samoa saw one of FIFA's biggest boosts this month, rising 17 spots after a historic breakthrough at April's Oceania World Cup Qualifiers.
The team climbed to No. 120 in the FIFA/Coco-Cola Women's World Cup Ranking, marking its highest position since 2018. This feat reflects American Samoa's semifinal appearance of the 2027 Oceania Women's World Cup Qualifiers.
The team recorded its first senior women's international victory during the qualifying run, with victories over Tonga, the Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, and Samoa. And that progress has also been building as global interest turns to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Since August 2025, American Samoa has lept 33 spots in the FIFA rankings — a dramatic turnaround for a program that had long been at the bottom of the OFC standings.
While powerhouse programs often dominate attention during World Cup qualifying tournaments, American Samoa's path serves as a reminder of just how much sustained development can impact national team production.
The run also carried broader regional significance. New Zealand rose two spots to No. 33 after successfully qualifying for the 2027 World Cup. Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea also moved up after its own strong campaign.
Veteran forward DeWanna Bonner is using the WNBA preseason to build momentum with Phoenix Mercury rookies, as the franchise tips off training camp following last season's WNBA Finals run.
Bonner drew attention both for her form and leadership, embracing the energy surrounding the reshaped Phoenix Mercury roster. Her return to Phoenix remains one of the notable storylines entering the 2026 season.
Speaking from training camp, Bonner pointed to the group's early chemistry as young players start to enter mix.
"They’ve been great, they’ve been about their business. They’ve been real professional," Bonner said of the Mercury rookies. "It’s always great to have new energy in the building.”
Recalling her own transition to the WNBA, Bonner talked about wanting to support players through that adjustment.
“I always check on them and make sure they’re having a good time,” she said. “Always well taken care of. I just remember being a rookie myself. It’s scary.”
At 38, the six-time All-Star brings experience to a lineup looking to build off its 2025 WNBA Finals run. Phoenix retained much of its veteran core in free agency, subsequently reinforcing continuity ahead of training camp.
The WNBA preseason offers an early glimpse at how that group may come together.
For Bonner, her 17th season marks another chapter in a career that continues to evolve. A two-time WNBA champion and one of the league's all-time leading scorers, she's expected to play a major role in Phoenix's frontcourt.
How to Watch DeWanna Bonner in 2026 WNBA Preseason Games
The Mercury tips off its WNBA preseason schedule against the Chicago Sky on Saturday at 4 PM ET.
Fans can stream all the preseason action via WNBA League Pass.
Madison Keys made headlines after withdrawing from the 2026 Madrid Open due to illness. She exited just before her opening match on Friday.
Keys was scheduled to begin her campaign in the second round against Zhang Shuai. However, she was replaced by Anastasia Potapova. The lucky loser went on to defeat Shuai 6-3, 6-1.
"It was actually unexpected because I've been waiting for three days before and nothing happened," Potapova of her win. "I didn't really prepare myself to play a match."
The withdrawal marks a setback for world No. 17 Keys at an important point in the clay season. The Madrid Open stands as one of the WTA Tour's key tune-up tournaments ahead of the 2026 French Open.
Keys is coming off a steady stretch that reinforces her place among the tennis world's top contenders. Her withdrawal subsequently adds to a growing list of absences impacting this year's Madrid draw. Amanda Anisimova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Clara Tauson also pulled out.
While the illness was not described as long term, the timing shifts attention toward whether Keys can reset in time for the next major clay event — including next week's 2026 Italian Open.
For now, Madison Keys leaves the Madrid Open without hitting a ball in the main draw, postponing her 2026 red-clay debut.
Now, the focus shifts to recovery — and whether Keys can return in time to regain momentum heading into the heart of clay season.