CHICAGO — Sabrina Ionescu executed the perfect boxout with three seconds left in the third quarter of a game against the Chicago Sky on June 12. She leapt up and tipped the ball around the much taller — 6-foot-7 to her 5-1 — Li Yueru, before corralling it with a second on the clock.

The board was her 10th of the game, securing Ionescu the second triple-double of her career. With it, she became the first player in WNBA history to record the elusive stat line in just three quarters.

Eleven days later, Candace Parker completed the same feat, breaking her own record as the oldest player to record a triple-double. It was also the third of her career, which stood alone at the time as a WNBA record. On July 6, Ionescu added another to her tally, tying Parker. With her stat-packing style of play continuing to thrive in the league, it seems like only a matter of time before the record is broken again.

And if Ionescu doesn’t do it, someone else will. Players like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Haley Jones will soon move from college to the pros, bringing with them diverse skill sets and stat lines.

When the record is surpassed, no one in the league will be surprised. Triple-doubles are becoming more commonplace in the WNBA.

“I think the game is changing,” Parker told reporters after picking up her third triple-double. “I think we’re gonna very soon see this on a nightly basis. We’re going to see those playmakers who have the ball in their hands. So I don’t know how long I’m going to hold onto this. But I’m grateful for this opportunity to play on a team where we can spread the wealth.”

Sabrina Ionescu did it all in a historic performance, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record a 30-point triple-double 👏 pic.twitter.com/2aXTB9n6aL

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 7, 2022

Veteran player Courtney Vandersloot also has multiple triple-doubles to her name, so the accomplishment isn’t new. It’s especially present at this year’s WNBA All-Star weekend. There have been 16 triple-doubles in league history, and Parker, Ionescu and Vandersloot are responsible for eight of them.

The frequency of double digits in a stat line is just one example, pointing to a bigger picture of basketball evolution.

Jewell Loyd, the 2015 first-round pick, is in the midst of her seventh WNBA season. And each year, she says, the on-court product becomes more exciting.

“People are coming in, and we are flooded with skill levels that are a little bit better,” she said. “I think the growth of the game, people are working on their games early on, so when you’re coming into the league, you’re not shocked. The game is so much faster and quicker.”

Atlanta Dream rookie and All-Star game participant Rhyne Howard is a prime example of WNBA readiness. Howard scored 33 points on May 15 in her fourth WNBA contest. Her transition to the league since she was selected with the first overall pick on April 11 has been seamless.

“I feel like I came in really confident and really strong with my game,” Howard said. “With my coaches and teammates telling me what they need from me, I couldn’t come in and just play mid.”

Loyd expects scoring to continue to explode across the league, as staying in front of opposing players becomes more and more challenging.

That’s not ideal for defenders, but it’s good for the league.

“It’s hard to guard people one-on-one,” Loyd said. “It’s hard to play pick-and-roll defense. A lot of solid players are able to do different things, more than one thing a lot of times. It’s a war zone.”

The Seattle Storm guard also pointed to the league being influenced by European basketball because of the contingent of women that play overseas in the offseason. Players are no longer boxed in by their position. Guards get rebounds, while bigs shoot 3s and dish dimes.

A more fast-paced and high-scoring on-court product, complete with triple-doubles and logo 3s, is reflected in the format of the All-Star Game. The WNBA announced Friday that the shot clock in Sunday’s game will be shortened to 20 seconds, and a 4-point shot will be in play. Two circles beyond the 3-point line on each end of the court will allow for even more scoring.

In addition to her ability to record triple-doubles, Ionescu is known for shooting from extra-long range. After winning the All-Star Skills Challenge on Saturday, she anticipates putting up a few 4-pointers on Sunday.

Sabrina Ionescu and Zoe Brooks are the 2022 WNBA Skills Challenge champs 🏆#WNBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/ZOE7x8jAR6

— ESPN (@espn) July 9, 2022

As for her fourth triple-double, that will likely have to wait until the regular season resumes.

“I’m not sure about (one in the All-Star Game),” she told JWS’ Autumn Johnson on Friday, before adding with a laugh, “But I’ll try.”

Instead, the focus for Ionescu and fellow first-year All Stars Howard, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young is a bit more attainable — and more important.

The WNBA’s next generation, while changing the game, is proving that experience doesn’t always matter. Each season, first-year players come in more polished than the last.

“There are a lot of us, and there are a lot of us that are here in the All-Star Game, which is really exciting, to see new faces and a lot of young talent,” Ionescu said. “We are trying to make a name for ourselves. We are going to keep grinding and keep getting better, showing everyone that it is possible to be young and successful in this league.”

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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."

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.