The NWSL is one step closer to crowning a 2021 champion.

After last week’s quarterfinal round sent two teams home, the 10-team league is down to four that will compete in a pair of semifinal matchups on Sunday afternoon. Portland Thorns FC and OL Reign earned byes to the semifinals after finishing the regular season in first and second place, respectively.

OL Reign will host the Washington Spirit, winners of a 1-0 extra-time quarterfinal against the North Carolina Courage, in the first game Sunday. The Thorns will then meet the Chicago Red Stars, who ousted NJ/NY Gotham FC 1-0 last weekend, in the finale.

Let’s take a closer look at each semifinal matchup.

2⃣ 🎟️ to the NWSL Championship will be booked 🔜

Sunday can't come soon enough 😎 pic.twitter.com/ofyAHNexOW

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 11, 2021

No. 2 OL Reign vs No. 3 Washington Spirit

Oh hey, OL Reign. Long time, no see.

The Reign are coming into this game having not played since their 3-0 win over Kansas City on Oct. 30. They placed second in the regular-season standings — just two points behind the Portland Thorns — with a record of 13-8-3. A dominant team at every position on the field, OL Reign will be a tough matchup for the Spirit.

But “tough” is a word that hardly phases Washington these days. After battling the Courage to extra time last Sunday and advancing on Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch’s late goal, the Spirit have increased their unbeaten streak to seven games. The Spirit finished the regular season third in the standings with an 11-7-6 record, fueled by the energy of their young squad.

The Golden Boot with perhaps the Golden Goal 👀#WASvNC | https://t.co/0LtSAUK1Jw | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/M8advNgK6y

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 8, 2021

In the teams’ three meetings this season, Washington has two wins and Reign has one. Their most recent matchup on Oct. 16 resulted in a 2-0 Spirit victory.

Each team has a top scorer in Hatch and Bethany Balcer, whose nine goals for OL Reign during the regular season trailed Hatch’s by one. Defensively, the Reign were fourth in the league with 24 goals against during the regular season. The Spirit were just behind them at 26, with Aubrey Bledsoe nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year after recording nine shutouts. NWSL MVP nominee Jess Fishlock and 2020 Olympic gold medalist Quinn have held down a strong midfield for the Reign this year, while U.S. women’s national team members Ashley Sanchez and Andi Sullivan have done the same for Washington.

Sunday’s game will feature four players on each squad who were called up to the USWNT for international friendlies against Australia later this month. For OL Reign, NWSL assists leader Sofia Huerta and Defender of the Year nominee Alana Cook will slot into the national team’s backline, while Balcer and midfielder Rose Lavelle will play on the attack. Representing the Spirit will be Hatch, Sanchez, Sullivan and defender Emily Sonnett.

The Reign may have the slight edge Sunday, but if the Spirit bring the same hunger that’s gotten them this far, they can’t be counted out. Washington and OL Reign kick off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday on CBS Sports Network.

No. 1 Portland Thorns vs No. 4 Chicago Red Stars

The Portland Thorns are getting used to raising trophies. Already this year, they’ve won the Challenge Cup, the International Champions Cup and the NWSL Shield. In 2020, they claimed the Fall Series title. They’re also two-time NWSL champions, having won in 2013 and 2017.

The Chicago Red Stars? They’re still looking to get over the hump, with Sunday’s’ game marking their sixth consecutive semifinal appearance.

MVP candidate Mallory Pugh will lead the Red Stars’ upset campaign. The 23-year-old has continued to build on a standout season, scoring the game-winning goal in her NWSL playoff debut last weekend to lift her team to the semifinals.

💥 CUE MAL PUGH 💥

First playoff game, first playoff goal 🤌#CHIvNJNY | https://t.co/bONPZnnmCJ | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/uyuHikPPz2

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 7, 2021

While most teams had the opportunity to play each team three times this season, the Thorns and Red Stars faced each other just twice, winning one apiece. Portland claimed the first match, 5-0, back in May. Their second meeting at the end of September was much closer, with Red Stars forward Rachel Hill scoring the game-winner in the 65th minute after first-half goals from Portland’s Christine Sinclair and Chicago’s Kaelia Watt.

Chicago, after winning in front of 7,027 fans at home last Sunday, now heads into enemy territory at Providence Park.

“Portland is a tough place in the history of the Red Stars for us to play at, but I’m excited about it,” Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden said. “It’s going to be an incredible challenge … It’s been a year filled with adversity, and so I feel like this is the perfect like next challenge, of course, to go to Portland and to really make a statement after we last went there.”

The Thorns’ defense has been the best in the NWSL this season, conceding just 17 goals and helping Goalkeeper of the Year nominee Bella Bixby record 14 clean sheets for a league shutout record. Portland’s Emily Menges and Chicago’s Gorden are both up for NWSL Defender of the Year.

The Thorns and Red Stars kick off Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.

Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. You can find her on Twitter @jessabraun.

The 2021 NWSL Championship is heading to Louisville on Saturday, Nov. 20. Check out the greatest women’s soccer players in the world live at Lynn Family Stadium in the championship final. Go to seatgeek.com/NWSL and buy your tickets today.

Sportico released its 2025 tennis prize money tracker late last week, and three of the annual cross-tour rankings' Top-5 earners hail from the WTA.

With $8.21 million in total 2025 earnings so far, newly minted Wimbledon winner Iga Świątek came in third behind ATP Tour giants Carlos Alcaraz ($10.63 million) and Jannik Sinner ($9.04 million).

Just behind Świątek sit reigning US Open champ Aryna Sabalenka ($7.13 million) and 2025 French Open winner Coco Gauff ($5.95 million) in fourth- and fifth-place, respectively.

Even more, a total of six women's tour standouts occupy slots in the Top 10, with Mirra Andreeva ($4.15 million), Madison Keys ($3.96 million), and Jasmine Paolini ($3.79 million) joining the previously trio in that upper echelon.

The gender parity on the list is a direct result of the fact that all four of the sport's Grand Slams boast equal prize money between the men's and women's competitions — a shift that began with the 1973 US Open and saw full adoption across the quartet of tennis majors with the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.

Now approaching two decades of Grand Slam equal pay, pro tennis players enjoy one of the highest in-competition earning potentials across all women's sports.

This year's tennis prize money rankings are far from locked in, however, as the 2025 US Open steps into its second round on Wednesday — with a record-setting $90 million total purse on the line to boost players' spots on the list.

Should world No. 1 Sabalenka defend her title — or if No. 2 Świątek or No. 3 Gauff emerges victorious in the season's final Grand Slam — a WTA player could launch herself to the top of the 2025 earnings list.

The No. 3 Las Vegas Aces are on an historic tear, extending the league's longest winning streak this season to 11 games by defeating the No. 12 Chicago Sky 79-74 on Monday night — becoming the second team to clinch a spot in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs in the process.

Despite a 30-point performance from Chicago guard Ariel Atkins, plus double-doubles from Sky center Kamilla Cardoso and forward Angel Reese, the Aces emerged victorious behind guard Jackie Young's team-leading 22 points.

MVP contender A'ja Wilson and veteran guard Chelsea Gray also added 18 and 14 points, respectively, to fuel the Las Vegas win.

"They've been resilient," Aces head coach Becky Hammon said following Monday's game. "It's been a really tough stretch…you're getting beat up and you've got to maintain, you have to play through it."

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The Aces haven't dropped a game since August 2nd's 53-point blowout loss to the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, racking up seven wins over teams currently in postseason positions as they climb the WNBA standings.

As for the already-eliminated Sky, Chicago did have one big reason to celebrate on Monday night, as the team raised the jersey of retired WNBA legend Candace Parker into the rafters during a halftime ceremony complete with remarks from current Phoenix Mercury star and 2021 WNBA champion Kahleah Copper.

"Today we celebrate you," Copper said to her former teammate. "You gave this game everything. Your time, your body, your heart. You didn't just play the game — you set records, you broke barriers, and you left your mark in ways stats can't fully compare."

How to watch the Las Vegas Aces this week

The No. 3 Aces have their work cut out for them as they shoot for 12 straight wins during their visit to the No. 2 Atlanta Dream on Wednesday.

The clash tips off at 7:30 PM ET with live coverage airing on NBA TV.

The No. 5 New York Liberty stopped the skid on Monday, as the reigning WNBA champions claimed a tight 81-79 victory over the No. 11 Connecticut Sun with 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart back the starting lineup.

Following her 13-game absence due to a bone bruise, Stewart scored a team-leading 19 points on Monday, offsetting Sun guard Leïla Lacan's game-high 22 points as already-eliminated Connecticut tried to play spoiler in Brooklyn.

"She's just got this relentlessness about her that can rub off on her teammates," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said of Stewart's influence. "She's got the highest motor I've ever seen in a player that just keeps going and going."

The Liberty have struggled with availability all season, losing guards Sabrina Ionescu (foot injury) and Natasha Cloud (nose fracture) to injury in the run-up to Stewart's return as the team slid down the standings.

However, Ionescu joined Stewart in returning to the Liberty court on Monday, with Cloud reportedly on track to rejoin the New York lineup later this week.

With games against the No. 10 Washington Mystics, No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, and No. 7 Golden State Valkyries looming over the next week, the Liberty are hoping their best basketball is still in front of them.

"We're in an uphill battle right now and it's not going to get any easier," Stewart said of the team's upcoming schedule.

How to watch the New York Liberty this week

The No. 5 Liberty will next take the court on Thursday, when New York will host the No. 10 Mystics at 7 PM ET.

Live coverage of the clash will air on Prime.

With the current CBA expiring in just over two months, Front Office Sports reported Monday that the prospect of the WNBA and the players' union (WNBPA) reaching a deal before the October 31st deadline is "increasingly unlikely."

"As we approach the 60-day mark, the league's lack of urgency leaves players wondering if it is focused on making this work or just running out the clock," WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson told FOS in a statement. "Fans do not want that. They are with the players in demanding a new standard for the W."

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While this year's CBA negotiations have been rocky, the inability to reach a deal in time doesn't necessarily crush the league's immediate plans.

Should they not come to an agreement, the parties will have the option to extend the original deadline in order to avoid an immediate work stoppage — so long as both the WNBA and the WNBPA sign off on the move.

There is precedent for a negotiation extension, with the WNBA and WNBPA pushing the deadline for the 2019 CBA back 60 days to allow for more time to hash out details — a move that ended in an agreement ahead of the 2020 season's free agency period.

However, the WNBA is under added pressure to turn things around.

With expansion teams in Toronto and Portland joining the league in 2026, the clock is ticking for the league to schedule and issue rules for the impending expansion draft.

Until the next CBA lays out the newly negotiated terms surrounding both expansion and free agency, the incoming Tempo and Fire will continue waiting in roster-building limbo.

Ultimately, the WNBA will do everything it can to avoid a strike, but the league will have to balance priorities as rapid growth competes with player demands.