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How Cisco is helping power Nelly Korda and the LPGA

Nelly Korda, at the AIG Women’s Open in August, has four titles on the LPGA Tour this year. (Warren Little/R&A via Getty Images)

Not even Nelly Korda predicted the year she would have on the golf course.

After COVID-19 forced the suspension of part of the 2020 season, Korda has doubled her wins on the LPGA Tour in 2021, claimed her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The 23-year-old enters the Solheim Cup this weekend ranked No. 1 in the world after the most dominant season on tour of any women’s golfer.

Cisco has been following Korda’s career ascent with pride.

The technology company partners with Korda and eight other golfers across the PGA, LPGA and APGA Tours, creating one of the most diverse rosters of athlete brand ambassadors in golf. When Cisco signed Korda along with older sister Jessica Korda and Danielle Kang in January 2020, she was coming off of a few titles and her first top-10 ranking, but the company couldn’t have known how quickly she would rise.

The reputation Korda has built since then is what makes her an ideal representative of Cisco’s mission in golf. Through their involvement in the sport, Cisco is committed to creating more visibility for women’s golf and ultimately inspiring the next generation of female golfers.

“The last 18 months have truly been a whirlwind,” Korda said. “Obviously when I partnered with Cisco at the beginning of last year, no one could have imagined what would come with the Tour being suspended and the world really coming to a halt.

“But to come out of such an uncertain time playing the best golf of my career, and to win my first major championship, become World No. 1 and win an Olympic gold medal all in the last few months is more than I ever could have dreamed.”

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Cisco first began working with the United States Golf Association (USGA) in the fall of 2018 as its Official Technology Partner. As the company’s investment in the sport grew, so did its interest in supporting promising golfers who are primed to succeed on the course and share the company’s values and corporate purpose to power a more inclusive future for all.

Less than two years after entering the sport, Cisco signed the Kordas and Kang as their first female ambassadors — and have watched them turn into three of the most successful golfers on the LPGA Tour.

Kang, 28, has been a staple on the LPGA Tour since 2011, accumulating five wins and a Women’s LPGA Championship. In 2020, Kang won the Vare Trophy, awarded to the golfer with the lowest scoring average on tour that year. She backed up that performance with seven top-10 finishes in 2021 and currently ranks eighth on the tour.

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Danielle Kang won two LPGA titles in 2020, adding to her career haul. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Before Nelly Korda rose up the professional golf ranks, her sister Jessica Korda was already making a name for herself. Now 28, Jessica joined the LPGA Tour at 17 years old and has won six LPGA titles, including the tour opener in January. With four top-10 finishes so far this year, she currently ranks 18th in the world.

In addition to their success on tour, all three golfers want to help grow the game for women, and they appreciate how Cisco is helping realize that vision.

“They’re incredible individuals who we are so proud to have represent our brand,” Christina Leong, Cisco’s Global Sports Sponsorships Manager, told Just Women’s Sports. “They share a commitment and a vision for growing the game and inspiring this new up-and-coming generation of golf fans and players through our innovation and technology.

“And that’s just as important to us, if not more so, than how they play on the course.”

Leong stressed Cisco’s vision that people of all ages, genders and ethnicities see themselves reflected in the game of golf, regardless of their background.

That goal goes hand-in-hand with Cisco’s commitment to bring the game of golf to more people through innovations and technology, which became especially important throughout the pandemic.

“COVID definitely made us get creative but also really allowed us to make lemonade out of lemons,” Leong said. “In such a challenging environment, technology became an even more crucial component in connecting fans, players and media.”

That meant, for example, that players still had a piece of their family with them as they teed off at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open, thanks to video messages recorded via Webex by Cisco, the industry-leading video collaboration solution.

When fans were barred from attending tournaments in person last year because of COVID-19, Cisco brought them as close to the action as possible with a virtual grandstand to mimic the feeling of being on the course. Cisco and the USGA also worked together to create a virtual media center that used Webex to conduct pre-tournament and post-round video interviews at both the men’s and women’s Opens.

This year, Cisco and the USGA brought one of their most unique innovations to the golf course, 4DReplay, which allowed golfers and fans to view a player’s swing at 360 degrees. With 88 cameras set up in a ring around the tee box, the video captured enough footage that it could be paused at 34 different points in the motion. Not only could NBC show the technology on their broadcasts, adding to their analysis of players’ swings, but fans could watch the clips on demand through the USGA app.

The response was universally positive, with many golfers pushing 4D clips on their social media accounts.

Ahead of this year’s championship, Cisco also used a mobile cart powered by Webex to surprise young golfers with virtual clinics from San Francisco to San Diego. Golf personality Tisha Alyn hosted the events and Cisco’s PGA and LPGA ambassadors assisted in the sessions.

“We are trying to tap into that next generation, having the kids meet some of their favorite players,” Leong said. “And they then got these virtual autograph sessions that were hosted on the Webex mobile cart during the actual U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Open.”

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Through all of the trials of the past year, Cisco has remained committed to creating a level playing field for the men’s and women’s games.

“Cisco’s purpose as a company is to power an inclusive future,” Leong said. “That means creating equal opportunities for the women’s game and empowering diverse groups of people to participate in the game of golf.”

Earlier this year, Cisco’s sponsorship of the inaugural Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational, which featured some of the most promising minority golfers, included a roundtable and seminars aimed at opening doors for players who may not have had those opportunities otherwise.

“We just want to make sure that all genders, all ethnicities, ages and backgrounds are well represented,” Leong said. “The more diverse people and backgrounds that we can attract, and the more types of people that are represented, it will ultimately inspire and drive participation and hopefully spark more innovation in the game.”

As Cisco levels up its technology every year, treating the men’s and women’s tournaments equally will continue to be at the forefront of what they do.

“This last year, the women’s event looked almost the exact same as the men’s, if not better,” Leong said. “I think it’s just continuing to really push the envelope and ensure that whatever is going to happen at the men’s events with technology, it’s going to happen at the women’s, too.”

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Jessica Korda has ranked in the top 30 of golfers on tour for the past eight years. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Cisco’s commitment to the women’s game, from the inception of the partnership to now, has not gone unnoticed by those on the LPGA Tour.

“It has been so great to be a part of Team Cisco alongside so many other talented golfers,” Jessica Korda said. “Cisco’s commitment to using their technology to grow the game and inspire a new generation of golf fans and players is something that is really important to me as well, and I look forward to continuing to build on that goal together in the future.”

“It’s really so meaningful when companies like Cisco step up in such a big way to support our sport,” Kang said. “You see a lot of brands that spend money on the men’s side, but Cisco makes it a priority to support the LPGA Tour.

“Support like that is really important to us as players, and I truly believe that it helps to inspire even more participation in the sport from the next generation of female golfers.”

Editor’s note: Cisco is a sponsor of Just Women’s Sports.

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

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.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

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.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

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.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

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.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

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.

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."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

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.

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