The Minnesota Lynx entered their first game of the 2021 WNBA playoffs with confidence after a resilient regular season.

Battling through injuries and player absences during an 0-4 start, the Lynx reversed course and started climbing in the WNBA standings. They finished the season third overall with a 22-10 record and received a first-round bye, setting up a second-round, single-elimination matchup with the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky.

The Sky took a four-point lead into halftime of the Sept. 26 game and never looked back, pulling away in the second half for an 89-76 win on Minnesota’s home court.

Just like that, the Lynx’s season was over. With it came renewed questions about the WNBA’s playoff format, which features two rounds of single-elimination games followed by best-of-five semifinals and Finals series.

“It has become clear that the current playoff format no longer serves the product the athletes are putting out on the floor every night,” Lynx point guard Layshia Clarendon said days later. “The players and the fans deserve a better playoff experience that honors the hard work put in throughout the regular season. I’m confident the league sees this as well and will act accordingly!”

The single-elimination playoff experience was different for Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith. The Mercury came into the playoffs as the fifth seed after overcoming a slow start to win 10 of their last 13 regular season games. They rode that momentum to wins in the first two rounds and a place in the semifinals against the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces.

“Obviously, it’s tough with this format. If you don’t really get a top-four or a top-two position, you gotta play in one of these games,” Diggins-Smith told reporters after the Mercury upset the No. 4 Seattle Storm in the second round. “We made it to a series, we earned a series, and that’s really all it is. It’s not like we won a championship or anything. That’s what we’re after. On to the next.”

Sky tying it up! pic.twitter.com/pWRr52Xbgd

— Phoenix Mercury - X (@PhoenixMercury) September 26, 2021

The WNBA playoffs weren’t always set up this way.

In 2015, the Lynx were a favorite to win their third WNBA championship. Before they could play for the title, however, they had to win two best-of-three playoff series against the Los Angeles Sparks and the Mercury.

Back then, the playoffs featured eight teams split and seeded into Eastern and Western conferences. The conference semifinals and finals series filtered into a best-of-five WNBA Finals, and no team had to play a single-elimination game. Even though Game 1 of the 2015 Finals between the Lynx and Indiana Fever was the most watched on ESPN/ABC networks since 1998, viewership for the first two rounds of the playoffs was down 13 percent over 2014. WNBA playoff ratings overall had taken a hit.

At the end of the season, the WNBA Board of Governors got together to review and discuss all aspects of the league, including the playoffs. They formed a consensus and, in January 2016, the board announced a new playoff format ahead of the league’s 20th anniversary: The top eight teams with the highest regular-season winning percentage would make the playoffs and be seeded based on their overall records, doing away with conferences. The first and second rounds would be single elimination, and teams would be re-seeded after each round. The top two seeds would receive first- and second-round byes.

The goal was to inject excitement into the WNBA playoffs, increase viewership and attract new fans in the 20th year of the WNBA.

The playoffs have remained the same ever since.

“I like this format. I like single elimination for both of the first two rounds. I think it’s compelling television and will help the ratings,” said WNBA analyst Debbie Antonelli. “I thought some players looked tired in Round 2, and we don’t want sloppy play in a crowded sports television market in September and October.”

Crowded sports market is an understatement. By the time the WNBA playoffs begin in September, the NFL is already in full swing, the MLB is gearing up for its postseason and the NBA is getting ready to start its preseason.

Given the fall sports landscape, it’s understandable that the WNBA would want to figure out a way to make the playoffs more appealing to viewers. But have the single-elimination games actually helped with ratings? Not necessarily.

According to Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, the second-round game between Seattle and Phoenix drew 311,000 viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched single-elimination game since the Lynx played the Sparks in the first round in 2018 (343,000 on ESPN2).

“So, the single-elimination games have not been overwhelmingly big draws, and the Game 5s in the semifinals — when they do occur — tend to do better,” said Lewis, who also noted that Chicago’s double-overtime win over Connecticut in Game 1 of the semifinals outperformed all single-elimination games since 2016.

But ratings are only part of the playoff conversation. The league has to think about travel schedules, since WNBA teams fly commercial, and team owners have to consider whether they’ll be able to sell enough seats during first- and second-round multi-game series in order to make it worthwhile. Extending the WNBA postseason also means running up against television scheduling conflicts and competing with fall pro sports for viewership.

“How many regular season games from a business aspect of an organization are needed or wanted for our league, for our teams? And then from there, what do playoffs look like with that footprint?” asked Storm head coach Noelle Quinn. “I think that’s the biggest thing that I’m learning — there’s some strategy that goes into it, like there’s a reason why the playoffs have continued to be the way that they are. There are talks about changing it, but within that change, how does that impact the days of our season and could that be changed?”

Proposals for playoff re-formatting include decreasing the number of playoff teams from eight to six, keeping the first-round single-elimination games and making the second round a three-game series or structuring each round as series.

“I think if we keep eight teams in the playoffs, I like the format (as it is),” said Antonelli. “The only way to make it fair to the three and four seeds is to have less teams. I think the decision for the league is eight teams or six teams in the playoffs. Six teams would be half the league — that would seem fair to me. But if we’re going to have eight teams, I love single elimination in the first two rounds because of television.”

Added Quinn: “The single-elimination game for the first round maybe brings some excitement, but the third and fourth seed … I mean, you look at Minnesota and what they did at the end of the year, you look at how Phoenix started playing at the end, it just gives teams a chance to duke it out in the playoffs with a series and creates these rivalries.

“At least a second-round series, I’m kind of leaning towards now as well. Best out of three, whatever it is, I think those top seeds deserve that. And I’m not just saying it because we were in that spot.”

🐐 x 2⃣ pic.twitter.com/sJMdxKbYKF

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) September 26, 2021

Sue Bird, who may have played the last playoff game of her illustrious career in Seattle’s second-round loss, has been vocal about the WNBA’s current postseason format. She would prefer the WNBA playoffs have no byes, no single eliminations — just toss the ball up and see who comes out on top in the hard-fought series.

“If it’s gonna be eight teams, it has to be series. Because you’re gonna have a player like Arike Ogunbowale and you’re only gonna see her once?” Bird said, referencing the Dallas Wings’ first-round ouster this year.

“You don’t even have a chance to really get going in a single-elimination game. And I get the excitement, so there is that aspect for fans. But I think it’s more exciting to see a player like (Ogunbowale), a young player, an exciting player, whose team finishes wherever they finish — six, seven, eight — and you get to see her three times? Two or three times? That’s also exciting from an entertainment standpoint.”

When the 2021 playoffs end and a new champion is crowned, the WNBA will reevaluate the playoffs along with every other checklist item from the summer. Whether they address the calls for format changes depends on a variety of factors. Regardless of the outcome, it’s hard not to think that single-elimination games limit the amount of quality basketball, reach and exposure of the WNBA.

In a multi-series format, maybe the Minnesota and Chicago matchup would have gone to three games. Maybe Bird would still be bumping up against Diana Taurasi instead of packing up her locker. Maybe the semifinal matchups would look a lot different than they do now, with the Sky and Mercury each one win away from advancing to the Finals. Maybe not. The fun thing about a series is it gives players, coaches, owners and fans more than just one game.

In the end, maybe that’s what everyone who invests time in the league deserves.

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering the WNBA. She also contributes to The Athletic and is the co-author of Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League. Follow Lyndsey on Twitter @darcangel21.

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.