WNBA Commissioner’s Cup tips off with twin blowouts

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Twin blowouts tip off WNBA Commissioner’s Cup

The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup tipped off last night, as No. 3 Dallas rocked No. 13 Seattle 79-56 before No. 1 Minnesota routed No. 15 Phoenix 111-77 to open the in-season tournament.

• Aziaha James led the Wings with 18 points in 18 minutes off the bench, while starter Paige Bueckers secured the team’s season-high 23-point victory with 10 points, seven assists, and a career-high nine rebounds. (Watch full highlights)

• Courtney Williams stole the nightcap, lifting the Lynx over the struggling Mercury with 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting, backed by rookie Olivia Miles’s 19 points, four rebounds, and nine assists. (Watch full highlights)

How it works: The sixth-annual tournament starts with an in-conference group-stage, as Eastern and Western teams vie for $200,000 in charitable donations.

• The team with the best record in each conference then advances to the June 30th final, where a $500,000 team payday adds incentive.

• The competition has historic postseason implications, after recent champions have gone on to make deep playoff runs, including 2025’s Indiana, 2024’s Minnesota, and 2023’s New York. (See full rules)

Up next: The Cup continues tonight on WNBA League Pass, starting with Connecticut taking on Atlanta at 7:30 PM ET.

WCWS sets 2nd straight all-Texas Final

Texas and Texas Tech stormed back, as the instate rivals swept their Monday doubleheaders to set up a 2025 WCWS Championship Series rematch.

• The defending champion Longhorns silenced Tennessee in the first winner-takes-all matchup, reaching their third straight College World Series Finals behind slugger Katie Stewart’s 29th and 30th homers of the year.

• “She’s strong as an ox,” coach Mike White said of Stewart. “She’s just grown as a leader and a hitter. She’s really taking it onto herself to shoulder the load.” (Watch full highlights)

Walk-off heroics: Texas Tech then took down Alabama 5-4 to win Game 1 behind Mia Williams’s first career walk-off home run, before closing out the series on a 2-0 shutout.

• Red Raiders ace NiJaree Canady held the Crimson Tide to just two hits in Game 2, becoming the fourth pitcher on record shutouts in four different WCWS tournaments.

• “I don’t have any doubt that was her best performance of the year,” said coach Gerry Glasco. “That’s a great confidence builder for our team and NiJa to go into the finals with that effort.” (Watch full highlights)

Tune in: The WCWS Finals kick off on Wednesday at 8 PM ET, live on ESPN.

Serena Williams confirms pro tennis comeback

A legend is returning to the court, as Serena Williams officially accepted a wild-card doubles entry to the 2026 HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club alongside world No. 9 Victoria Mboko.

• Williams confirmed the rumors via a teaser video showing her phone chiming as she walked across a tennis court, ending with the message “guess everybody heard the news.”

• “Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement. “I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.” (See full report)

Context: The 44-year-old hasn’t played professionally since the 2022 US Open, after stepping away from the WTA Tour while intentionally avoiding the word “retirement.”

• Williams won 23 career Grand Slams — a women’s tennis record in the Open era — and 73 singles titles to total an estimated $94 million in prize money.

• While she hasn’t announced plans beyond next week’s competition, the grass-court WTA 500 event provides an ideal warmup for Wimbledon — historically her best major tournament.

Stay tuned: Queen’s Club starts Monday, with draws set to drop on Friday.

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Get yours: The 2026 JWS Pride Collection drops Thursday on the JWS Shop.

Sabalenka ousts Osaka in French Open showdown

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka did it again, toppling Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-3 in Monday’s French Open slate to mark her third win over the No. 16 this year.

• The matchup made headlines beyond its big-name bill, becoming the first women’s match in three years to feature in a night session at Roland Garros.

• “The atmosphere and the attention that this match brought [is] going to show them that probably for the future they should consider putting at least sometimes women matches at night,” Sabalenka said afterwards. (Watch full highlights)

Head-to-head: Sabalenka and Osaka first faced off at the 2018 US Open, with the Belarusian moving to a 4-0 career record against the Japanese fan favorite.

• Sabalenka now advances to her 14th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, setting up a clash with first-time quarterfinalist No. 23 Diana Shnaider hot off her own Round of 16 victory over No. 19 Madison Keys.

Chelsea signs Arsenal vet Katie McCabe

The WSL transfer window officially opens June 18th, but teams across the UK league are already making deals — and headlines — as clubs look to fill gaps with high-profile free transfers.

• Veteran Arsenal defender Katie McCabe is headed south, as the Ireland captain signed a three-year contract with rival Chelsea after 11 years with the Gunners.

• “It’s a new chapter in my career,” the 30-year-old said. “I’m really excited to get going and show the Chelsea fans how ready I am to perform for the badge.” (See full report)

Rebuild loading: Finishing the season in third place, Chelsea is expected to take an aggressive market approach in the wake of departing star striker Sam Kerr.

• “This club has been successful for so many years,” added McCabe, who grew up a Blues fan. “For me, it’s about bringing that success back.”

Quote of the day

Indiana Fever star Lexie Hull
telling JWS about her 2026 aspirations, both on and off the WNBA court.