THE EVE EDITION
AFTERGLOW | FRI OCT 9
The WNBA Finals will crown a first-time champion. Golden State, in only its second season, knocked the defending champion Las Vegas Aces out in overtime, and Atlanta survived a final Breanna Stewart jumper to finish off the New York Liberty. Both semifinals ended in sweeps, and the Finals open Saturday, October 17, at Chase Center. The Aces’ exit came one day after A’ja Wilson became the first five-time Most Valuable Player in league history.
In Beijing, Mirra Andreeva and Qinwen Zheng set up a China Open final with history on both sides of the net: Zheng is the first Chinese player to reach it, and Andreeva is already assured of a career-high ranking. Stanford beat #3 Duke in overtime for its biggest field hockey win in more than 25 years, #1 Northwestern stayed perfect, and TCU ran its volleyball winning streak to 12. Coco Gauff pulled out of her Wuhan title defense, and on SmackDown, Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley left with the tag team titles after Jade Cargill took Charlotte Flair out backstage.
Valkyries Dethrone the Aces in Overtime, Reach the Finals
The Golden State Valkyries are going to the WNBA Finals in their second season. Kayla Thornton scored 18 points and Golden State beat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 87-77 in overtime Friday night in Las Vegas, completing a three-game sweep and becoming the quickest expansion team in league history to reach the championship round. The Aces led 45-36 at halftime and by 11 early in the third quarter before a 17-0 Valkyries run turned the game. Golden State held Las Vegas to seven points in the quarter.
Las Vegas rebuilt a six-point lead late in regulation, but with Golden State down two and 1:50 left, Gabby Williams stripped A’ja Wilson and found Thornton for the tying layup. The Valkyries won overtime 16-6, with Williams scoring 16 and Kiah Stokes adding 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Wilson, named MVP a day earlier, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds on 6-for-19 shooting.
Dream Sweep the Liberty, Return to the Finals
Atlanta is back in the Finals for the first time since 2013. Angel Reese scored 22 points with nine rebounds, and the Dream held off the New York Liberty 85-83 at Barclays Center while playing a second straight game without Allisha Gray. New York had the ball with 17.7 seconds left, and Breanna Stewart’s 5-foot jumper would not fall.
Rhyne Howard added 21 points, and Jordin Canada had 19 points and 11 assists without a turnover. The Dream made 22 of 24 free throws in a two-point game, enough to outlast 26 points apiece from Stewart and Jonquel Jones. Atlanta lost its three previous Finals, in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
Zheng Ends Mertens’ Run, Meets Andreeva in Beijing Final
Qinwen Zheng ended Elise Mertens’ run through Beijing 7-5, 6-2 on Saturday and became the first Chinese player to reach the China Open final since the event joined the WTA calendar in 2004. Chinese players had been 0-7 in Beijing semifinals. Ranked #54 and playing on a wild card, Zheng hit 32 winners and has now won 13 of her last 14 matches.
Her opponent is #4 Mirra Andreeva, who beat #26 seed Nikola Bartůňková 6-2, 6-2 for her 50th win of the season, the youngest woman to reach that mark since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009. Andreeva will rise to a career-high #3 whatever happens Sunday. Zheng won their only previous meeting, in the 2024 Beijing quarterfinals.
Gauff Pulls Out of Her Wuhan Title Defense
Coco Gauff will not defend her Wuhan Open title, withdrawing with fatigue after a long season, and Naomi Osaka has also pulled out of the year’s final WTA 1000 event. Gauff’s week in Beijing brought racist abuse online after her third-round win and then a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Elise Mertens with 34 unforced errors. Qinwen Zheng takes Osaka’s place, and three-time Wuhan champion Aryna Sabalenka is projected as the top seed when play begins Monday.
Stanford Stuns #3 Duke in Overtime
Stanford beat #3 Duke 3-2 one minute into overtime, Bea Varley finishing Gemma Townsend’s feed for the program’s highest-ranked win in more than 25 years. Anya Jackson made 10 saves, and Duke lost for the first time in ACC play.
#1 Northwestern moved to 13-0 behind two goals from Ashley Sessa in a 2-1 win over #6 Iowa. #8 Wake Forest scored twice in 18 seconds of the fourth quarter to win 2-0 at #14 California, and #9 North Carolina routed Saint Joseph’s 8-0 with six goals in an 11-minute stretch of the third.
Arizona State’s Blocks Lead a Ranked Volleyball Friday
#11 Arizona State matched a season high with 15 blocks and came from a set down to beat #23 Colorado 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 27-25, holding the Buffaloes to .056 hitting. #8 TCU swept Arizona for its 12th straight win, and #5 Florida stretched its streak to 11 with a sweep at Missouri.
#13 Oregon beat #22 Michigan State in four sets, #9 Texas recovered from a first-set loss at Arkansas, and #25 North Carolina swept Virginia Tech to stay 5-0 in the ACC. #4 Kentucky, #10 Tennessee, #14 Stanford, #16 Purdue, #18 Penn State, #20 Washington and #21 Minnesota also won.
Bliss and Paxley Win Tag Gold After Cargill Attacks Flair
Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship on SmackDown, beating Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid after Jade Cargill attacked Charlotte Flair backstage and Bliss took Flair’s place. Bliss hit Sister Abigail on Reid, and Paxley pinned Henley with Cemetery Drive. In the Money in the Bank preview, Lash Legend won a six-woman tag for her team, then attacked her own partners, Tiffany Stratton and Jacy Jayne.
LAST LIGHT
Saturday brings Money in the Bank in New Orleans, where Stephanie Vaquer defends the Women’s World Championship against Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan, and the USWNT hosts Spain at Audi Field. On Sunday, Andreeva and Zheng play for the China Open title in Beijing.
The Aces’ season ended one day after A’ja Wilson was named WNBA MVP for a record fifth time, the first player to win the award three seasons running.
Wuhan begins Monday without Gauff or Osaka. The WNBA Finals open Saturday, October 17, at Chase Center, where Golden State holds home-court advantage against Atlanta.