Minnesota rises up | Wings get their win | Gauff crushes on clay

She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts.

Lynx top the league

The 2024 WNBA finals set the stage for this season in more ways than one, as title contenders Minnesota and New York carry their winning ways into 2025.

• The undefeated Lynx cruised to a 5-0 record on Tuesday, downing a surging Seattle Storm 82-77 behind 23 points from guard Courtney Williams.

• The reigning champion Liberty are keeping pace, earning their fourth straight win with a 95-67 takedown of 2025 expansion side Golden State.

If it ain’t broke: While many teams spent the offseason instituting major coaching and roster shakeups, the Lynx and Liberty kept last year’s lineups mostly intact.

• Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier currently dominates the WNBA in points per game with 26.8, while teammate Alanna Smith’s 62.5% field goal percentage tops the leaderboard.

• New York’s moves were few but effective, as 2025 Liberty addition Natasha Cloud sits second in assists per game (8.3), while the collective team outpaces the pack in points (94), assists (25.3), blocks (6.0), and field goal percentage (49.8%).

History repeats: With the top dogs not scheduled to meet until July 30th, fans will have to wait to see the Lynx and Liberty go head-to-head this year — but early odds of a finals rematch closing out the season grow stronger by the day.

Wings soar into the W column

Dallas earned their wings last night, with the Wings beating still-winless Connecticut 109-87 in Uncasville to notch their first victory of the year.

• Playing on familiar ground, UConn product and 2025 No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers scored a career-high 21 points against the Sun, becoming the first WNBA player to top 60 points and 30 assists in her first five pro games.

• “I don’t think I ever lost [at Mohegan Sun Arena],” Bueckers said after the win. “I was trying to carry that into tonight.”

Continued struggles: At 0-5, the Sun is still hunting their first win — as is the Sky, after Tuesday’s tight 94-89 loss to the Mercury pushed them to 0-4 on the season.

• Despite Chicago’s downfall, second-year forward Angel Reese put up 13 points and 15 rebounds in the loss, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to record 500+ points and 500+ rebounds.

• “[The team’s performance] definitely felt better,” Reese told reporters. “But obviously we’re not satisfied… all of us are winners, we want to win.”

Bottom line: With many freshly restructured teams still figuring it out, early skids are expected — but the getting that first win is still the best way to shift momentum.

Tune in: Another shot at righting the ship is just around the corner, as Chicago hosts Dallas tomorrow at 8 PM ET (Prime Video) while Connecticut faces a Caitlin Clark-less Indiana on Friday at 7:30 PM ET (Ion).

US stars roll on at Roland-Garros

A strong US contingent is showing out at this year’s French Open, with 14 of the country’s best advancing to today’s second round in Paris.

• On Tuesday, world No. 2 Coco Gauff headlined a lineup spanning No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 7 Madison Keys as the WTA’s top ranks battle it out for the Grand Slam’s $2.9 million prize.

• No. 16 Amanda Anisimova also held her own, downing Viktorija Golubic 6-6 while No. 54 Danielle Collins prepares to go toe-to-toe with No. 34 Olga Danilović.

• Despite her compatriots’ success, No. 9 Emma Navarro became the only Top 10 player to crash out early, managing to win just a single game against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

Big picture: Heavy-hitters No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Świątek have also been cruising along, with Świątek ousting England’s Emma Raducanu in straight sets this morning before Sabalenka takes on Jil Teichmann this afternoon.

• Should they keep it up, the pair could be on a semifinal collision course, landing on the same side of the Roland-Garros draw while Gauff and Pegula hold down the other two quadrants.

Don’t miss it: Coverage of the French Open’s second round continues through tomorrow, live on TNT.

Deep-pocketed US Open tees off

The LPGA Tour’s largest purse is back on the line, as the 80th iteration of the US Open hits the links tomorrow at Wisconsin’s Erin Hills Golf Course.

• In partnership with tournament sponsor Ally, the event’s $12 million overall prize money is the most lucrative in the women’s golf game, with $2.4 million going to the eventual winner.

The field: Eight former US Open Champions — including 2024’s Yuka Saso — will vie for this year’s trophy alongside all 12 2025 LPGA Tour winners.

• 24 of the world’s Top 25 will also be in attendance, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, as the US star still searches for her first victory of the season.

Tune in: The US Open tees off at 12 PM ET on Thursday, with live continuing coverage across USA Network and Peacock.

England’s Earps hangs up her gloves

Longtime England goalkeeper Mary Earps announced her retirement from international play on Tuesday, just five weeks before the Lionesses begin their 2022 Euros title defense.

• “My journey has never been the simplest, so in true Mary fashion, this isn’t a simple goodbye — right before a major tournament,” the current PSG goalkeeper posted to Instagram. “Nonetheless, I know this is the right decision.”

Changing direction: Despite leading England to their first-ever European Championship plus a 2023 World Cup final appearance, Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman told media earlier this year that the 32-year-old Earps would likely take a backseat to Chelsea keeper Hannah Hampton this summer.

• “I had hoped that Mary would play an important role within the squad this summer, so of course I am disappointed,” Wiegman said after Earps’s retirement news broke.

Quote of the day

The WNBA
in a statement resolving their investigation into fan misconduct during the Fever’s 2025 season-opener against Chicago.