The 10th-ranked UConn Huskies took down No. 7 Tennessee 75-56 on Sunday as freshman Azzi Fudd made a statement in her first career start.

Fudd had a team-high 25 points, adding four rebounds and four assists. She made 7-of-9 3-pointers, including one on her first touch of the game.

“Today was a lot of fun,” Fudd said. “I was smiling the whole time.”

Career-high in points for @azzi_35 as @UConnWBB routs Tennessee 75-56 😤 pic.twitter.com/tOt89lMX4R

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It was a statement made by the freshman in just her fourth game since returning from a foot injury that kept her sidelined for 11 games. Since her return, she has averaged 13.8 points per game.

“Today was the first game where she took it upon herself to be present in the entire game,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “She didn’t pass up any shots. If you watched the game, you’d have thought she was an upperclassman. If that’s the worst she ever looks, it’s going to be pretty good.”

Evina Westbrook and Aaliyah Edwards each added 14 points apiece.

The Huskies’ 12-for-26 3-point shooting far outpaced the Lady Vols, who were just 3-of-15 on the day. UConn also shot 44.8 percent to Tennessee’s 28.8. With the loss, the Lady Vols have lost three of their last four games. They lost forward Keyen Green to a torn ACL on Jan. 23.

“We have not recovered from that yet,” Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper said. “We’ve got to be able to find confidence in what we’re doing. That’s been the biggest drop-off for us in the last two weeks.”

Tennessee’s Jordan Horston led all scorers with 26 points, adding eight rebounds.

UConn was without Caroline Ducharme, who was unavailable due to a head injury. Sophomore guard Paige Bueckers continues to be out after having surgery to repair a tibial plateau fracture in her left knee. She is expected to make her return sometime in February. While UConn has hit some tough times due to injuries, the return of its stars could prove deadly heading into the final stretch of the season.

“We’re going to be a nasty team with everyone healthy,” Fudd said.

The rivalry game between the two teams lacked some of the firepower it used to have. The same rivalry that still has Auriemma and Candace Parker on opposite ends of the game was relatively tame on Sunday. Prior to the game, Auriemma spoke to the game’s meaning for the current group of players.

“I feel like it’s — things evolve, things change,” he said. “It’s certainly not the rivalry that it used to be and it may never be that again. I don’t think any of these players remember any Tennessee-Connecticut game, you know?

“If it didn’t happen earlier this afternoon and they didn’t see it on TikTok, it didn’t happen.”

UConn takes on Villanova on Wednesday as Tennessee will look to rebound against Missouri on Thursday.

Naomi Osaka advanced to the third round of the 2026 Australian Open with a three-set victory over Sorana Cirstea on Thursday.

But the hard-fought win was overshadowed by a heated exchange at the net and a subsequent public apology from the former Japanese fan favorite.

After Osaka defeated the unseeded 35-year-old 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at Margaret Court Arena, the two shared a tense handshake before Cirstea reportedly called Osaka out for her on-court conduct. The issue apparently centered on Osaka’s habit of shouting "Come on!" to celebrate points, specifically between Cirstea’s first and second serves — a move the Romanian considered both a distraction and a breach of sportsmanship.

In her immediate postmatch interview, Osaka dismissed Cirstea's complaints.

"Apparently a lot of 'come-ons' that she was angry about, but whatever," Osaka said. "I think this was her last Australian Open, so, okay, sorry she was mad about it."

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However, during her subsequent press conference, Osaka apologized for her dismissive tone.

"I'm a little confused. I guess that emotions were very high for her," Osaka said. " I also want to apologize. I think the first couple of things that I said on the court were disrespectful. I don't like disrespecting people. That's not what I do."

Osaka went on to clarify that her vocal outbursts are self-motivating and not an attempt to rattle her opponent.

Cirstea, who recently announced that the 2026 season will be her last on the WTA Tour, later downplayed the incident. She called it a "five-second exchange between two players," insisting that "there was no drama."

Osaka, the No. 16 seed, will next face unseeded Australian Maddison Inglis in the third round on Friday.

How to watch Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open this week

No. 16 Naomi Osaka takes the court against Australia's Maddison Inglis this Friday (time TBA), live on ESPN.

While competing at the 2026 Australian Open this week, US tennis star Coco Gauff is giving back to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), with the world No. 3 WTA player announcing a $150,000 donation to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to fund HBCU tennis scholarships on Tuesday.

"Education has the power to change lives, and I hope this gift will help students achieve their dreams," said Gauff in a Tuesday statement.

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Even more, this week's donation marks the two-time Grand Slam champion's second UNCF contribution in as many years, with her $100,000 pledge in 2025 bringing Gauff's total gift to $250,000.

"I feel like HBCU tennis a lot of times doesn't get the funding that they need," Gauff said after advancing to Thursday night's Australian Open third round. "I would always try to uplift marginalized communities and support where I can."

One of the youngest major donors in organization's 80-year history, the 21-year-old star's Coco Gauff Scholarship Program has already sponsored multiple HBCU tennis athletes.

"My family has a deep-rooted history with HBCUs," Gauff wrote in a 2025 press release. "As a young Black athlete, I understand how impactful it is to see people who look like me thriving in both sports and education…. My hope is that this scholarship gives more young Black players the confidence to chase their dreams, knowing they have a strong community behind them and a bright future ahead."

PWHL players made their voices heard this week, as The Athletic published the results of the third-year league's first-ever anonymous player poll on Wednesday, surveying athletes on everything from the best trash-talkers to which nation's team will win Olympic gold at next month's 2026 Winter Games.

Leading the poll's individual accolades is 34-year-old Team Canada and Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, dubbed the PWHL's best player by 80% of respondents.

Poulin's Team USA counterpart, Seattle Torrent forward Hilary Knight, snagged second as each standout prepares for a fifth career Olympic run.

As for who will win gold in Italy, all but one player predicted a Canada vs. USA Olympic Final, with a 50/50 split on the eventual victor.

Athletes also answered overarching questions about the growing league in the player poll, with Detroit earning the most nods as a PWHL expansion city — though Denver and Chicago also scored double-digit votes.

As for the future face of the league, current New York Sirens forward and 2024 PWHL No. 1 draftee Sarah Fillier narrowly edged out current University of Wisconsin senior and Team USA Olympic defender Caroline Harvey in the players' poll.

Toronto Sceptres forward Emma Maltais beat out Montréal's Abby Roque by one vote for the title of top PWHL trash-talker, though most players tapped her for quantity over quality — an assessment Maltais herself agrees with.

"I'm not trash-talking," clarified the 26-year-old Canadian. "I'm just yapping."

WNBA star Angel Reese is lighting up the silver screen, with the Chicago Sky forward racking up multiple film and TV credits during the league's offseason.

On Tuesday, Netflix revealed that Reese will play a character called "Trainer Barbie" in the second season of the streamer's hit show, The Hunting Wives.

Already a fan of the series, Reese's told Hunting Wives creator Rebecca Cutter to "just let me know if you need me for season 2" on X last summer — a conversation that helped spark the basketball star's casting.

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Tuesday's news follows last week's announcement that Reese and Las Vegas Aces star center A'ja Wilson will each voice a role in the upcoming animated film GOAT, produced by the NBA's Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry.

When the film hits theaters on February 13th, fans will see Reese as Propp, a polar bear, while Wilson plays a reptile called Kouyate.

Reese first opened her acting portfolio by playing herself in a cameo in the October 2025 Netflix film A House of Dynamite, with Hunting Wives marking the 23-year-old's first foray into a scripted series.

The eight-episode second season of the Netflix show is currently in production, though a premiere date is still unknown.