Tennis fans saw an epic battle on Monday, as world No. 39 Emma Raducanu forced No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka into a third-set tiebreak in the third round of the 2025 Cincinnati Open.
The British 22-year-old, who burst into the sport's upper echelons by winning the 2021 US Open as an unseeded teenage qualifier, came achingly close to ousting the top-ranked three-time Grand Slam winner in a match that required more than three hours and two tie-breaks to resolve.
"She's world No. 1 for a reason, and I pushed her more than I did at Wimbledon so that's an improvement," said Raducanu, ultimately falling to the 2024 Cincinnati Open winner in Monday's narrow 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5) loss.
Clearly affected by the oppressive humidity of the southern Ohio summer, Sabalenka took risks in the match's late stages to offset her 72 unforced errors and her diminishing energy.
"At the end, I went for crazy shots," Sabalenka told the crowd following the 2025 US Open tune-up match. "I think that it was a little bit risky from me and it really helped to put a lot of pressure on her."
Along with Sabalenka, this week's Round of 16 will feature at least four other Top-10 contenders, as 2025 Australian Open victor No. 6 Madison Keys and Kazakhstan's No. 10 Elena Rybakina booked their own Round of 32 wins on Monday, while 2025 French Open champion No. 2 Coco Gauff and 2025 Wimbledon winner No. 3 Iga Świątek enjoyed extra rest as their third-round opponents withdrew due to illness and injury on Tuesday.
Hoping to join the Gauff and Keys's advancing US contingent are No. 4 Jessica Pegula and No. 35 Ashlyn Krueger, who will face Poland's No. 40 Magda Linette and Italy's No. 9 Jasmine Paolini, respectively, on Tuesday.
How to watch the Cincinnati Open
Tennis's best will keep battling for Cincy's trophy — and an edge going into the season's final Grand Slam — this week: The third round will wrap on Tuesday before the Round of 16 kicks off on Wednesday.
Live coverage of the 2025 Cincinnati Open will continue airing on the Tennis Channel.
The 2025 Canadian Open wrapped up with a storybook ending in Montréal, as 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko earned her first-ever WTA Tour title by defeating four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in Thursday's final.
"I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament," Mboko said after battling back to take down Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. "It just proves that your dreams are closer than they [seem]."
The largely unexpected final matchup capped a 2025 Canadian Open that saw every seeded player fall, with Mboko putting together a dream run that included ousting four Grand Slam champions — Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.
Thursday saw Mboko become just the third-ever Canadian to win the event, plus the teen phenom made tennis history as only the third wild-card entrant to ever claim victory in a WTA 1000 tournament.
As for Osaka, despite falling just short of the finish line, the 2025 Canadian Open was a distinct return to form for the fan favorite, who put together her most successful tournament run in three years in Montréal this week.
Both finalists earned a significant rankings bump with their performances this week, with Osaka rising to world No. 25 while Mboko, who started the 2025 season outside the WTA's Top 350, skyrocketed to No. 24.
Having withdrawn from the 2025 Cincinnati Open due to the near-impossible turnaround between Thursday's final in Montréal and their Saturday matches in Ohio, both Mboko and Osaka will enjoy some much-deserved rest before gearing up for the season's final Grand Slam — the 2025 US Open.
This year's US Open champions are cashing in, with the pro tennis season's final Grand Slam boosting its overall prize money by 20% — and upping the 2025 men's and women's singles winner's payout to a record $5 million each.
Total player compensation will rise to $90 million across all competitions, making the 2025 US Open the highest-paying tournament in tennis history, with its singles champions banking the biggest payday in the sport's history.
Finalists and semifinalists are also getting a bump, with this year's runners-up cashing $2.5 million checks while semifinalists will walk with $1.26 million each.
In addition, champions of the men's, women's, and mixed doubles competitions will each walk away with $1 million for the first time in US Open history.
In 2024, the New York City Slam's total purse weighed in at $75 million, with singles winners earning $3.6 million each — making this year's $5 million check a 39% raise.
Since then, 2024 US Open champ Aryna Sabalenka and others have spoken out about increasing both payments and transparency in pro tennis, with the sport's Top-20 ranked women and men reportedly co-signing a letter requesting "substantial" purse increases to all four Grand Slams this past April.
While both the French Open and Wimbledon increased this year's overall purses by 5% and 7%, respectively, the US Open "made a deliberate and concerted effort to ensure double-digit percentage increases from 2024 in all rounds of all events for all players," according to the tournament's press release.
Notably, the 2025 Australian Open increased its overall prize pool by over 11%, though that boost came before the players' letter and not all winning categories saw double-digit percentage raises.
US tennis icon Venus Williams is back in action, returning to the hard court to feature in both the singles and doubles competition at the 2025 DC Open this week.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion will face off against fellow US player and world No. 35 Peyton Stearns in their tournament opener on Tuesday — the unranked 45-year-old's first official competitive match since exiting the 2024 Miami Open in the first round some 16 months ago.
"Why not?" Williams said of her DC Open wild card berth. "I love the game. And the hard courts, it's my favorite surface, what I feel comfortable on."
"My personal goal is to have fun I think right now and enjoy the moment, not put too much pressure on myself," she added.
As one top talent hops back into the spotlight, however, another is stepping out of it, as two-time Wimbledon finalist and current world No. 72 Ons Jabeur announced last Thursday that she's taking an indefinite leave from professional tennis.
"For the past two years, I've been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges," the former world No. 2 wrote in an Instagram post. "But deep down, I haven't truly felt happy on the court for some time now."
"Tennis is such a beautiful sport," the barrier-breaking 30-year-old Tunisian star added. "But right now, I feel it's time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living."
How to watch Venus Williams at the 2025 DC Open
Williams' return to the WTA court begins on Monday, when the legend will pair up with fellow US player Hailey Baptiste in an opening doubles match against the US's Clervie Ngounoue and Canada's Eugenie Bouchard at 2:30 PM ET.
Her 2025 DC Open singles campaign kicks off against Stearns at 10 AM ET on Tuesday.
Live coverage of all tournament matches will air on the Tennis Channel.
World No. 12 Amanda Anisimova is cruising through the 2025 Wimbledon field, with the 23-year-old becoming the tournament's youngest US semifinalist since Serena Williams's 2004 run on Monday.
Anisimova reached her second-career Grand Slam semifinal via a straight-set quarterfinal victory over No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Tuesday, setting up a Thursday semifinal meeting with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Bursting onto the scene at just 17 years old with a semifinal appearance at the 2019 French Open, Anisimova went on to step away from tennis to address burnout and mental health in May 2023.
Anisimova stepped back on the competitive court in January 2024, making her return by defeating none other than Pavlyuchenkova at the Auckland Open.
It was her first-ever WTA 1000 victory, however, that elevated Anisimova into the sport's Top 20, winning the 2025 Qatar Open in February in what's been the young US star's best pro tennis season yet.
As one of just four contenders remaining in the London Grand Slam, Anisimova will now enter the elite WTA Top 10 in the governing body's next rankings update, regardless of her final 2025 Wimbledon result.
"It's been an extraordinary year for me. So many highs. It's just been such a ride, and I've been enjoying every step of the way," Anisimova said after her quarterfinal win on Tuesday. "Even times like today, when you're not sure you're going to cross the finish line, I keep reminding myself to enjoy the moment."
How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon semifinals
Anisimova's date with Sabalenka will kick off the 2025 Wimbledon semifinals at 8:30 AM ET on Thursday, when the young US star will look to improve on her 5-3 all-time record against the world No. 1 player.
Polish phenom No. 4 Iga Świątek will then take on No. 35 Belinda Bencic in the second semi at 9:40 AM ET, after the pair down their respective quarterfinal foes No. 7 Mirra Andreeva and No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets on Wednesday.
Live coverage of the 2025 Wimbledon semifinals will air on ESPN.
The 2025 Wimbledon field narrowed this weekend, leaving just three Top 10 contenders still in pursuit of a first-ever London title as the annual Grand Slam rolls into its quarterfinals.
Not always known for her prowess on grass, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka reached her third-career Wimbledon quarterfinal on Sunday, taking down Belgium's No. 23 Elise Mertens in straight sets.
"Everything is possible," Sabalenka said of her Wimbledon title chances. "I am just trying to give my best and really hope for the best."
Joining Sabalenka in leading Wimbledon's quarterfinal field is No. 4 Iga Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, who made quick work of Denmark's No. 22 Clara Tauson and US star No. 10 Emma Navarro, respectively, to advance on Monday.
While several US stars crashed out in the Slam's early rounds — including No. 2 Coco Gauff — the country will still have one player featuring in the 2025 quarterfinals.
After taking the only three-set win in the 2025 tournament's Round of 16 by downing Czechia's No. 27 Linda Nosková on Sunday, world No. 12 Amanda Anisimova kept US title hopes alive by reaching her second-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal.
"I just kept telling myself to keep believing in myself," said the 23-year-old after the match.
Anisimova's victory comes as a trio of US stars — No. 8 Madison Keys, No. 54 Danielle Collins, and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste — all exited in the weekend's third round.
A few other fan favorites also went home this weekend, as England's No. 40 Emma Raducanu and Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka both suffered third-round defeats.
How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon quarterfinals
With the London Slam running through Saturday's championship match, the 2025 Wimbledon quarterfinals will rule the grass courts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sabalenka will kick off the round against Germany's No. 104 Laura Siegemund at 8:30 AM ET on Tuesday, before Anisimova looks to handle No. 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at 9:40 AM ET.
Though start times are not yet set, Wednesday's matches will pit Andreeva against Switzerland's No. 35 Belinda Bencic while Świątek takes on No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova.
Live coverage of the Wimbledon quarterfinals will air on ESPN.
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 WTA Tour's biggest names are prepping for a challenge, eyeing next Monday's start of the Wimbledon Grand Slam while watching the sport's dark horses dominate the grass court.
Wimbledon's 2023 champ Markéta Vondroušová stole the spotlight this weekend, as the injury-plagued Czech pro earned her first title in two years at the 2025 Berlin Open.
Even more, the world No. 91 player claimed the trophy in style, taking down top tennis stars like world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 6 Madison Keys, and No. 12 Diana Shnaider en route to besting China's No. 33 Wang Xinyu in Sunday's back-and-forth three-set final.
"I feel like it could not have been better for us here," the 25-year-old said after the win. "We were all working really hard to get me back [from an August 2024 shoulder surgery] and I felt like, you know, we came here to try to win the first match and now this is happening. So I'm just very grateful to be standing here."
Vondroušová will look to ride the weekend's momentum to a potential second Wimbledon trophy, a title that has so far eluded every player currently ranked in the WTA's Top 10 — including Sabalenka, No. 2 Coco Gauff, and No. 8 Iga Świątek.
Of the sport's current elite tier of players, only Italy's No. 4 Jasmine Paolini has appeared in the London Grand Slam's final, falling to Czechia's No. 17 Barbora Krejčíková in the 2024 title match.
The highest-ranked previous Wimbledon champion is Kazakhstan's No. 11 Elena Rybakina, who hoisted the trophy in 2022.
Women's tennis got a boost on Wednesday, as the WTA announced it would institute rankings pauses for players who step away from competition to undergo fertility protection treatments like egg or embryo freezing.
Players returning from a procedure can opt to receive a Special Entry Ranking, calculated using their 12-week average ranking starting from eight weeks before taking leave.
Players can use that unique ranking to enter up to three tournaments at the WTA 500, 250, or 125 levels before the governing body will again institute traditional calculations.
The protection extends to any player ranked among the world's top 750 who spends more than 10 weeks out of competition.
These latest rankings protection further secures the careers of tennis pro parents, who first earned special rankings in the 2019 WTA season after Serena Willams and Victoria Azarenka saw their seedings plummet simply from stepping away from competition to give birth.
The move also comes three months after the WTA agreed to grant players paid maternity leave for the very first time.
"I'm incredibly proud of our sport in recognizing the importance of fertility treatments for female athletes," said 2017 US Open champ and longtime reproductive health support advocate Sloane Stephens. "For any woman, the conversation of family life versus a career is nuanced and complex."
"It's truly ground-breaking and will empower this generation, and future generations of players, to continue with the sport they love without having to compromise."
This week's 2025 French Open quarterfinals set up the clay-court Grand Slam's semifinals, with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka taking on three-time defending champ No. 5 Iga Świątek while No. 2 Coco Gauff faces wild card No. 361 Loïs Boisson on Thursday.
In Wednesday morning's highly anticipated all-American showdown, Gauff survived a tight 6-7(6) 6-4, 6-1 quarterfinal battle with fellow US star No. 8 Madison Keys to punch her semifinals ticket.
Shortly thereafter, Boisson's historic Cinderella run continued as the 22-year-old French up-and-comer took down heavy favorite No. 6 Mirra Andreeva in straight sets — after pulling off a huge Round of 16 upset of US star No. 3 Jessica Pegula on Monday.
Boisson — the youngest French semifinalist at any Grand Slam in 26 years and the first woman to make the penultimate round in her major tournament debut since 1990 — will leap to at least No. 68 in the next WTA rankings thanks to her Roland-Garros performance.
"I don't think it's a miracle," said Boisson of her unexpected Grand Slam debut. "It's just the result of hard work. Nothing else."
On the other side of the 2025 French Open bracket, both Sabalenka and Świątek cruised through their Tuesday quarterfinal matches to reach Thursday's semis, but their toughest match lies ahead.
Despite beating Sabalenka in five out of six previous meetings on clay, Świątek hasn't reached a major tournament final since her 2024 Roland-Garros win.
"I'm super excited to go out there and to fight and to do everything I need to get the win," said Sabalenka about her upcoming date with Świątek.
How to watch the 2025 French Open semifinals
Sabalenka and Świątek will kick off the 2025 French Open semifinals at 9 AM ET on Thursday, with Gauff and Boisson taking the court shortly after the first semi concludes.
Both matches will are live on TNT.