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WNBA semifinals: Can Sun solve Sky in 2021 rematch?

DeWanna Bonner and the Sun have not beaten the Sky yet this season. (Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Connecticut Sun have advanced to the WNBA semifinals four seasons in a row – and made the finals in 2019 – but have yet to put it all together.

Over that stretch, their roster has stayed largely the same. Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, Natisha Hiedeman and Brionna Jones have been on the team every year. DeWanna Bonner was added in 2020, and Courtney Williams returned this season after departing in a 2020 trade to Atlanta.

Last season represented perhaps the biggest blow to the Sun’s title aspirations. They earned a No. 1 seed but were upset by the No. 5 Sky, who went on to win the championship. Now, the tables are turned, and No. 3 seed Connecticut has a shot at upsetting No. 2 seed Chicago to earn a place in the finals.

“We are back where we want to be,” Sun coach Curt Miller said of the upcoming series. “I’m proud that we are going to our fourth-straight semifinal. We’ve had incredible success in the regular-season, but this group wants to take another step. And there is not one person that is going to pick us to beat Chicago.”

Miller, who said his team is going to harness an underdog mentality, is right in thinking Chicago is going to be a heavy favorite.

The Sky not only topped the Sun in the previous playoffs, but they also went 4-0 against Connecticut this season. Still, the games have been close, with Chicago winning by an average of 4.5 points each time.

Here’s a look back at those contests:

June 12: Sky 83, Sun 79

In the offseason, James Wade, who was named the WNBA’s Executive of the Year, signed Emma Meesseman and Rebekah Gardner. They both proved fruitful additions in Chicago’s first game against the Sun this season. Meesseman had 26 points on an efficient 11-for-14 shooting, with five rebounds and four assists. Gardner came off the bench to contribute 14 points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 17 minutes of play.

For the Sun, Bonner led the starters with 18 points, and Brionna Jones tallied 20 points off the bench on her way to a season in which she quickly became a favorite for Sixth Player of the Year.

Statistically, the teams were relatively even – Connecticut even held a rebounding advantage – but the difference came at the free-throw line. The Sun went 5-for-9, while Chicago finished 15-for-17.

June 29: Sky 91, Sun 83

The Sun don’t shoot many 3-pointers – they rank 11th in the league – but they are generally efficient in those attempts. Their 35.4% shooting from beyond the arc ranks third in the WNBA.

In this game, though, that wasn’t the case, as they went 6-for-19 (31.6%) from the 3-point line. Chicago went 10-for-20 from long range, shooting 50%.

This game was the most lopsided of the four regular-season wins for Chicago, yet the Sky played sloppily, turning the ball over 24 times.

July 31: Sky 95, Sun 92 (OT)

The Sky managed to secure a victory even without Candace Parker, who was out with an illness, thanks to a balanced effort.

Kahleah Copper led with 27 points and Courtney Vandersloot had a double-double with 16 points and 12 assists. Allie Quigley finished with 13 points, and Azurá Stevens and Meesseman added 12 and 10, respectively.

The Sun once again struggled from long range, shooting just 26.7% and making just four 3-pointers. But they also outrebounded Chicago 41-32, and held a small turnover advantage, though neither team took care of the ball. The Sky coughed it up 20 times compared to Connecticut’s 17.

Aug. 7: Sky 94, Sun 91

Once again the Sun had more rebounds (34-26) and fewer turnovers (16-13), but once again, the Sky secured the victory – and with it, a franchise-record 25 wins.

Both teams had balanced scoring efforts, with Bonner’s 18 points leading the Sun and Vandersloot’s 20 propelling the Sky. Jonquel Jones recorded a double-double for Connecticut with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Parker did the same for Chicago. She finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

The Sky also shot the ball better than the Sun, making 57% of their attempts to Connecticut’s 46%.

Prediction: Chicago in 4

Those four games may have been close, but the outcomes are telling. Chicago managed to win in a variety of ways, and even once without Parker. Connecticut consistently outrebounded the Sky and forced more turnovers than they committed, but Chicago still secured victories every time. That tells us that Chicago is simply the better team.

The best-of-five WNBA semifinal series between the Sky and the Sun tips off at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

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.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

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.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

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.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

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.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

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.

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."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

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.

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