The 2023 Australian Open begins Monday, with top American players Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula both set to take the court on the first day of action.

Just Women’s Sports highlights Gauff, Pegula and two more players who should have your attention at the year’s first major tournament.

Coco Gauff

Gauff had a year to remember in 2022, including her first major final appearance at the French Open. And she’s off to a strong start in 2023 with a title win in Auckland. While just the third title of her career, she sits at No. 7 in the world.

“Honestly it’s been a fantastic week for me despite the rain, I can’t ask for a better start to the season,” Gauff said after the win in Auckland.

At the Australian Open, she’ll face off against world No. 48 Katerina Siniakova on Monday, though the match will begin at 7 p.m. ET Sunday in the United States, with Iga Swiatek potentially waiting in the quarterfinals.

waited my whole life for this 💀😭@FTiafoe https://t.co/5QR8o2ieg4

— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) January 11, 2023

Ons Jabeur

Ons Jabeur also had a standout 2022, reaching her first two Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. In doing so, she became the first African woman and the first Tunisian and Arab player – man or woman – to make a Grand Slam final.

While she didn’t come out on top in those matches, Jabeur did rocket up to a career-high world No. 2 ranking.

She’ll start her Australian Open run Tuesday against Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek.

I hope to have inspired Tunisia, the African continent and the Arab world throughout my Wimbledon journey. I'll be back on Centre Court! Keep dreaming young girl 🍓

Eid Mubarak to all muslims around the world ✨ pic.twitter.com/gj1dRWPDlo

— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) July 9, 2022

Iga Swiatek

Last year, Swiatek made the Australian Open semifinals, but she fell to Madison Keys, who then lost to Ash Barty in the championship match. Barty retired immediately after that tournament, which clears the path between Swiatek and the title.

After the 2022 tournament, Swiatek went on a historic 37-match winning streak to cap off her ascent to the world No. 1 ranking.

She also won two majors on the year, including the US Open. At the US Open, she faced off against Jule Niemeier, who will be her first-round opponent at the Australian Open. Swiatek won their meeting in Flushing Meadows in three sets.

“It’s nice also that we played not so long ago, so I can take a lot from that match,” she said. “Now I know how her ball feels on the racquet. But she has the same.”

🎾 Time for the @AustralianOpen. 1st round tomorrow
🎾 Czas na #AustralianOpen. Jutro o 9.00 rano mój mecz pierwszej rundy pic.twitter.com/v16tue33MO

— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) January 15, 2023

Jessica Pegula

Historically, Jessica Pegula has done well Down Under. In her past two appearances in the Australian Open, Pegula has made the quarterfinals. To open the year, she went 4-1 at the United Cup, which included a straight-set win over world No. 1 Swiatek.

She currently sits at No. 3 in the world, which is a career high. She’s the highest-ranked American, male or female, after only just cracking the top 100 in 2019. Last year, she made three quarterfinal appearances in the Grand Slams, including the US Open.

A month after the year’s final major, she won her first WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara, defeating four consecutive Grand Slam champions to do so.

The New York Liberty will open the 2025 WNBA season at the top of the league's power rankings, drumming up high expectations despite a short-staffed roster.

Trailing the reigning champions at No. 2 are 2024 runners-up Minnesota, followed by 2023 champs Las Vegas at No. 3.

Fueled by this year's overall No. 2 draft pick Dominique Malonga, the Seattle Storm claimed No. 4 in the WNBA rankings, with the revamped Indiana Fever eyeing a 2025 turnaround at No. 5.

The betting market similarly reflects the league's latest forecast, with sportsbook FanDuel setting the Liberty's title odds at +210, followed by the Aces at +360, and the Lynx at +370.

The lines also support Indiana's promise, giving the Fever the fourth-best championship odds at +390 — far higher than the fifth-best Phoenix Mercury at +1,300.

On the other hand, the Dallas Wings, LA Sparks, Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, and Golden State Valkyries occupy the rankings' bottom half, as 2025's potential lottery teams prepare to prove themselves against top-line squads this season.

The up-for-sale Sun and brand-new Valkyries have the longest title odds on FanDuel, clocking in at +50,000 each.

While preseason action has provided some quality sneak peeks, Friday's opening tip-off represents a fresh start for the league, one where anything can — and likely will — happen.

European WNBA stars drop out of 2025 EuroBasket

Several European WNBA standouts announced they will skip out on this summer's FIBA EuroBasket, opting to prioritize league play following a pivotal 2024 Olympics.

Reigning Olympic silver medalists Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga both confirmed they will not represent France at the European tournament in June, opting to remain with the Seattle Storm.

The duo's France teammate Carla Leite is also forgoing the trip, instead remaining with the Golden State Valkyries for the entirety of the expansion side's debut season.

As a major international tournament, the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket is exempt from the WNBA's prioritization rule, meaning eligible players can miss regular-season league play to compete in the overseas contest without being in violation of WNBA protocols.

The 2025 regional FIBA competition between Europe's top national teams will tip off on June 18th.

US soccer legend Alex Morgan is back in the game, becoming a minority owner of her former NWSL club by investing in the San Diego Wave FC on Tuesday.

One of the 2022 expansion side's first signings, Morgan captained the Wave to their 2023 NWSL Shield win before retiring in September 2024 as the team's all-time leader in both goals (28) and assists (11).

"San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career," Morgan said in a club statement. "I believed in Wave FC before a single match was played, and I still believe this club has the power to change the future of women's sports."

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Morgan joins an ownership group led by the Leichtman-Levine family. The Leichtmans purchased the team from founding owner Ron Burkle at a reported $113 million valuation last year.

"Alex has always fought to positively impact this game beyond the pitch," said Wave FC controlling owner Lauren Leichtman. "Her decision to invest is not only a continuation of her leadership but also a reflection of her belief in what we are building."

The two-time World Cup champion appears to be making good on her desire to shape the women's sports landscape after hanging up her boots, also buying into Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball ahead of the league's early 2025 debut.

"I was on board [with Unrivaled] from day one," Morgan told Boardroom in January. "Fans want to see what a player's personality is and who they vibe with, what drives them, and I think that being able to mesh that with competition, it already [is] a home run here with Unrivaled. So it would be really exciting to do something with other women's sports as well."

The Minnesota Frost offense is ruling the ice, as record-setting scoring has the reigning PWHL champions on the brink of returning to the Walter Cup finals, entering Wednesday's Game 4 on a 2-1 series lead over the Toronto Sceptres in the best-of-five semifinals. 

Just two days after No. 4-seed Minnesota leveled the series with a 5-3 Friday win — recording the most combined goals ever scored in a PWHL Playoff game — the Frost found yet another gear, winning the highest scoring game in the second-year league's history in Sunday’s 7-5 Game 3 defeat of No. 2-seed Toronto.

In Sunday's barnburner, 21 players earned points across the two teams, but it was Minnesota who claimed victory, never relinquishing their early lead after netting a trio of goals in the game's first eight minutes.

"Minnesota's a great team," Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan said after the loss. "If you're putting yourself in a situation where you've got to chase them, it's an uphill battle."

"I think it’s a fan's dream and a coach's nightmare, a 7-5 playoff game," said Minnesota boss Ken Klee. "We found a way to win and that's the most important thing."

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Perhaps unsurprisingly, Minnesota skaters now own the league's 2025 Playoffs stat sheet, with four Frost players topping the points race.

More eyebrow-raising, however, is that the league's postseason offensive leader is a defender, as the Frost's Lee Stecklein has burned up the ice with three goals and three assists in the playoffs so far.

Calling her "outstanding" and "world-class," Klee sang Stecklein's praises while acknowledging that the postseason means Minnesota must "find different ways to score goals and different people have to contribute."

"[Stecklein] knows that, she exemplifies that, and that's why she's one of our leaders and one of our best players."

How to watch Minnesota vs. Toronto in the PWHL Semifinals

The defending champion Frost will hope to secure their spot in the 2025 PWHL Finals while the Sceptres aim to stave off elimination in the pair's next semifinals game on Wednesday.

The puck drops on Game 4 of the best-of-five series at 7 PM ET, with live coverage streaming on the PWHL YouTube channel.

Soccer legend Marta is officially returning to the canary yellow kit, earning a Brazil national team call-up just over nine months after her planned retirement from international duty.

Brazil head coach Arthur Elias named Marta to the world No. 8 Seleção's roster on Tuesday, with the 39-year-old icon returning for the team's upcoming home friendlies against No. 5 Japan on May 30th and June 2nd.

"I was with Marta recently and spoke with her," Elias told reporters on Tuesday. "She said she is available to help the team while she is playing at a high level, as she is now."

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Stellar club form fuels Marta's Brazil return

Marta, who hung up her international boots after snagging a third silver Olympic medal at the 2024 Paris Games, hasn't missed a beat since, captaining the Orlando Pride to the club's first-ever NWSL Shield and Championship last fall.

In the process, the scoring phenom claimed the league's Best XI First Team honors, as well as finalist nods for both the 2024 NWSL MVP and Midfielder of the Year awards.

Unsurprisingly, the Pride inked Marta to a two-year contract extension in January.

While Marta's consistently impressive form fueled Elias's request to lure her out of retirement, the manager is also hoping her unmatched leadership will bolster younger athletes as Brazil takes aim at a record-extending ninth Copa América title this summer — and, as the host nation, a deep 2027 World Cup run.

Joining the legend on Tuesday's roster are fellow Brazil veterans Lorena and Debinha, from the NWSL-leading Kansas City Current, and Marta's Orlando teammate Angelina.

"[Marta's] presence in some call-ups is very important for the younger players, for the renewal that is taking place in the national team," explained Elias. "We really want expectations to rise for the women's national team and for football in our country."