Coco Gauff won her final match as a teenager on Monday, capping off what has been an astounding run. 

Since bursting onto the scene with a win over Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019 – and becoming the youngest player in the tournament’s history to qualify for the main draw at just 15 years old – Gauff hasn’t stopped her ascent. 

In the almost five years since, Gauff has won the US Open, been a finalist at the French Open, been named one of TIME’s Women of the Year, been a cover girl on Vogue and catapulted to third in the world rankings. She’s also made the semifinals or better in three of the four major tournaments, and has made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon twice. 

She’s reached a world No. 1 ranking in doubles, in August 2022, alongside partner Jessica Pegula, and twice made the finals of a Grand Slam in doubles. 

On Monday, her experience helped her shake off a slow start, with Gauff beating Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 7-6(5) in the third round at Indian Wells. And while it wasn’t always perfect, one thing Gauff has learned thus far in her career is how to win when she’s not always perfect. 

"The mentality is the reason why I'm playing and the reason why I'm being successful," Gauff said. "I'm not always playing my best, but mentally when I show that each match I'm not going to give up, it gives something for the opponent to think about."

She’ll turn 20 on Wednesday, the same day as her fourth-round matchup against Elise Mertens, who ousted Naomi Osaka in the third round. If you ask Gauff what she’d like for her birthday, she doesn’t quite know. 

“I don’t know,” Gauff said in her on-court interview. “I’m just happy to be alive. I’m really happy to see 20.”

There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.

World Sevens Football (W7F) confirmed the first four clubs competing in its inaugural tournament on Thursday, with Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Ajax, and Benfica joining the upstart's first competition this May.

Fashioned after tennis' Grand Slams, W7F is a series of tournaments, bringing together top clubs in major cities worldwide.

The debut three-day tournament will take place in the immediate lead-up to the May 24th 2025 UEFA Women's Champions League final, allowing the W7F launch to strategically capitalize on the excitement surrounding one of the sport's annual tentpole events.

World Sevens eyes multi-continent tournament lineup

W7F is the sport's latest 7v7 venture, with the US-based The Soccer Tournament spearheading the rise of the abbreviated game with its annual $1 million competition.

Like all future W7F contests, May's inaugural tournament will include a total of eight 7v7 clubs. Additionally, teams will compete in matches with two 15-minute halves, all on a field half the size of a full-team regulation soccer pitch.

In each W7F tournament, teams will vie for a share of a $5 million prize pool, with $2.5 million going to the champion while the runner-up banks $1 million.

As for the other four clubs joining the just-announced quartet in May, W7F is still negotiating with various teams, with the possibility of participation from non-European clubs still on the table.

A North American tournament is in the works for this fall, and W7F is also currently mapping out a four-year run-up to create five annual competitions across different continents.