Czech tennis player Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini in three sets on Saturday to capture her first Wimbledon championship.

Krejcikova outlasted Italy's Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to take the championship. The 28-year-old previously won the singles title at the 2021 French Open, as well as doubles titles at all four Grand Slams at least once.

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Wimbledon finals players break into WTA top 10

After Saturday's results, Krejcikova moved from No. 32 in the WTA rankings to No. 10, returning to the top 10 for the first time in six months. Wimbledon runner-up Paolini jumped from No. 7 to No. 5, a new career-high ranking.

Paolini also made waves by becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to reach both the Wimbledon and French Open finals in the same year. She lost out to 2024 French Open-winner Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros this past June.

Taylor Townsend wins doubles at Wimbledon

Former ITF Junior World Champion Taylor Townsend won her first Grand Slam in doubles at Wimbledon this weekend alongside Czechia's Kateřina Siniaková.

The No. 4 seeds beat No. 2-ranked Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe 7-6(5), 7-6(1) in a heated final on Wimbledon's Centre Court. The pair came back from two down in the first set before turning the tables on the 2023 US Open champs to secure the win.

This is the 28-year-old American's first win in three Grand Slam doubles finals, having fallen just short of the title at both the 2022 US Open and 2023 French Open. For Siniaková, however, the victory marks her ninth-career Grand Slam doubles championship and her third time taking the doubles title at Wimbledon.

"This is my first one, my first Grand Slam title — I've been close two other times," Townsend told reporters after the match. "To get over the finish line the way that we did, I think we played so well. We were just locked in, in control. We played our way. It felt good the way we did it."

As the WNBA calendar counts down and teams jockey for a place in the postseason, the league-leaders will take centerstage this weekend when the playoff-bound Liberty host second-place Connecticut on Saturday.

Liberty aim for four-game season sweep

New York will try to complete their 2024 season sweep of the Sun in the pair's fourth and final meeting tomorrow after their tense 79-71 win over 10th-place Dallas on Thursday showcased just how clutch a sidelined Sabrina Ionescu can be for New York.

The Sun, fresh off a historic sellout in Boston, are hoping to maintain that momentum with a win over the Chicago Sky tonight before heading to Brooklyn tomorrow.

Middle-table WNBA teams eye race for the playoffs

A series of consequential weekend matchups could further determine the fate of middle-of-the-pack teams eyeing a top-eight playoff berth, including ninth-place Atlanta. The Dream haven't lost a post–Olympic break game yet, and tonight they'll face sixth-place Phoenix, who they bested 72-63 on Wednesday.

Eighth-place Chicago, however, has yet to beat their Friday opponent, Connecticut, this season — daunting circumstances considering they'll close out the weekend with a bout against reigning WNBA champs Las Vegas.

If the Dream win over the Mercury and the Sky drop both weekend games, Atlanta will leapfrog Chicago to claim the league's coveted eighth-place standing.

Other WNBA games to watch this weekend

Las Vegas will take on third-place Minnesota tonight, aiming for a win in the pair’s fourth and final season meeting to split their 2024 series. Then on Saturday, the Lynx will host the seventh-place Fever — a team they’ve yet to beat this year.

At the bottom of the table, 11th-place LA will face two other teams with 6-22 records: 10th-place Washington tonight and 12th-place Dallas on Sunday. 

With just 10 regular season matchdays left, the NWSL retakes the pitch tonight complete with returning Olympians, refreshed rosters, and a new CBA. The league has a lot to celebrate after a busy Olympic break — and a new club record might just join that list.

Orlando winning streak could make NWSL history

League-leaders Orlando haven’t dropped a single one of their last 17 games, setting themselves up to book the longest regular-season undefeated streak in NWSL history. A win or a draw tonight against 12th-place Houston will break Orlando's 17-game tie with second-place Kansas City, whose own record unbeaten streak was snapped by the Pride in July.

Should Orlando’s run extend even longer, they could overtake the Washington Spirit’s overall 20-game record set across 2021-22 — though they’ll have to defeat the Current again in September to do it.

NWSL Golden Boot goal-scoring race heats up

With 12 goals each, KC's Temwa Chawinga and Orlando’s Barbra Banda are inching closer to ex-NWSL striker Sam Kerr’s single-season record of 19 goals as they both lead this season's Golden Boot race.

Fifth-place Portland's Sophia Smith isn't far behind the pair with 10 goals on the season, and she'll have the chance to tack on a few more when the Thorns play fourth-place Gotham on Saturday.

Other NWSL games to watch this weekend

On Saturday, 10th-place San Diego and 11th-place Angel City will battle to keep their playoff dreams alive, before ninth-place Louisville introduces seventh-place Chicago to their recently revamped roster.

Then on Sunday, the third-place Spirit will take aim at the Current — who top Washington in the standings by a single point — before WSL rivals Arsenal and Chelsea meet for a friendly in the second half of the Audi Field doubleheader.

The NWSL’s second transfer/trade window opened on August 1st, setting off a flurry of rosters shifts across the league. 

The summer's already seen an influx of overseas signings, while many recent moves have remained domestic.

Racing Louisville stacks roster in NWSL playoff push

 Racing Louisville has emerged as a hotbed of change, adding former Portland forward Janine Beckie on Wednesday in exchange for rookie Reilyn Turner.

The swap comes a day after Louisville signed Colombian defender Ángela Barón, and two days after sending midfielder Jaelin Howell plus $50,000 in allocation money to Seattle in exchange for Reign striker Bethany Balcer.

The ninth-place club is evidently gunning for its first playoff berth, as it currently sits just outside the eight-team postseason cutoff with 10 regular season matches left.

10th-place San Diego and 11th-place Angel City are also chasing the playoffs — along with Racing, the trio sits within three points of eighth-place Bay FC.

The Wave added six-time UEFA Champions League-winning French international Delphine Cascarino to bolster its front line last month. While last week, ACFC signed English midfielder Katie Zelem, who links up with her former Man United teammate Christen Press.

Top NWSL teams eye their slice of the playoff pie

The top of the table also got in on the action, with first-place Orlando welcoming back Louisville import Carson Pickett and second-place KC bringing on longtime Seattle defender Alana Cook.

Kansas City strengthened its Golden Boot-leading offense with Kenyan midfielder Mwanalima Adam Jereko and South African forward Hildah Magaia.

Perennial contender Portland is eyeing the NWSL's top four, tacking on ex-KC forward Alexa Spaanstra and Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold alongside Racing's Turner.

On Thursday, the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) and NWSL announced their new collective bargaining agreement (CBA)‌, with the agreement laying out major implications for the league, its growth, and its players.

Less than two years into the NWSL's first-ever CBA (ratified in 2022), the expanding league invited the NWSLPA to renegotiate last fall. The original CBA raised minimum salaries, introduced free agency, set safety and health standards, and provided player housing and transportation.

The new CBA runs through 2030, with a performance-based reopening trigger to ensure future revenue is equitably shared.

CBA makes NWSL the first pro US league to eliminate drafts

The most significant changes in today's agreement revolve around career choice, starting with the elimination of both college and expansion drafts.

The NWSL is the first pro US sports league to grant incoming athletes control over their placement, establishing a system more akin the college recruiting process. According to the terms, players will automatically become free agents once their current contracts expire and can no longer be traded without prior consent.

Workload management — including guaranteed breaks and new travel and scheduling models — was also addressed.

In addition to minimum base salary requirements, teams now must divert a percentage of their revenue toward player compensation.

NWSL growth key to new NWSLPA bargaining agreement

Given the NWSL’s $240 million media rights deal and record-breaking team valuations, the NWSLPA is continuing to ensure the league passes along those gains, from doubling the salary cap last January to today’s renegotiated CBA.

The deal also offers the NWSL the ability to lead the pro sports charge when it comes to transparency and putting players first.