Vargas and Paola Egonu finished tied with a match-high 28 points, but Vargas left Istanbul with both the trophy and tournament MVP honors. Türkiye became the first nation since Serbia in 2011 to win the European championship on home soil and repeated the title it first claimed three years ago in Brussels.

USA Escapes Italy in Lowest-Scoring World Cup Win Since 1984

The United States is through to the quarterfinals, but Italy provided the clearest evidence yet that the defending world champions may be more vulnerable than usual.

The U.S. escaped with a 55-52 victory after being dragged into a defensive battle that remained unsettled until the final possession. The Americans led 30-24 at halftime before their offense stalled badly in the third quarter, missing their first 10 attempts from three before Paige Bueckers finally broke the drought late in the period. Italy continued to pressure the U.S. into the fourth and briefly moved ahead 46-44 before Jackie Young answered.

Breanna Stewart restored the American lead at 51-50 with just over three minutes remaining, Chelsea Gray drew a crucial charge on the next Italian possession and Young followed with a driving layup before Gray stretched the margin to 55-50. Italy still had one final chance to force overtime, but Cecilia Zandalasini’s 3-point attempt missed at the buzzer.

Young finished with a team-high 10 points, while Caitlin Clark was held to one point in 19 minutes on 0-for-6 shooting. The U.S. shot just 29 percent overall and 1-for-12 from three, finishing with its lowest Women’s World Cup scoring total since the three-point line was introduced in 1984.

It was still the United States’ 32nd consecutive World Cup victory, extending a streak that dates to its 2006 semifinal loss to Russia, but no opponent during that run has come closer. Italy took the Americans to the final shot and showed that this version of Team USA can be disrupted in ways recent championship teams rarely were.

Elsewhere, China survived Czechia 74-70 in overtime after erasing a five-point deficit in the closing seconds of regulation, with Han Xu finishing with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Australia remained unbeaten with an 87-71 win over Türkiye, while Belgium improved to 2-0 by beating Puerto Rico 76-64. Australia and Belgium meet Monday with first place in Group C and a direct quarterfinal berth at stake.

US Open | Round of 16 | New York

Aryna Sabalenka continued her push for a third consecutive US Open title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Taylor Townsend, settling after a messy opening stretch and taking control without dropping a set for the fourth straight match.

Linda Nosková had a far more difficult path, surviving Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in one of the best matches of the round. Nosková held match point while serving at 5-4 in the second set before Kostyuk fought back to force a decider, then squandered four more match points in the third before finally closing it out. The reigning Wimbledon champion advances to her first US Open quarterfinal, where she will face Sabalenka.

Jessica Pegula also moved through comfortably, defeating Sorana Cîrstea 6-3, 6-4, while Emma Navarro beat #21 Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-2. Navarro, a semifinalist here in 2024, now meets Pegula in an all-American quarterfinal that guarantees the United States at least one semifinalist from this side of the draw.

The other quarterfinal pairs Sabalenka with Nosková, giving the world No. 1 a considerably tougher test against one of the season’s strongest Grand Slam performers.

Barclays Women’s Super League

Manchester City began its WSL title defense with a 3-1 victory over newly promoted Birmingham City, breaking open a scoreless match almost immediately after halftime.

Mary Fowler put City ahead in the 49th minute with the 1,000th goal in the club’s professional women’s history, and Khadija “Bunny” Shaw doubled the lead six minutes later with a header from Kerstin Casparij’s corner. Shaw added another header from a corner in the 86th minute to complete her brace before Océane Hurtré pulled one back late for Birmingham. After a difficult first half, the defending champions ultimately looked comfortable, while last season’s Golden Boot winner wasted little time getting back among the goals.

Arsenal’s victory was considerably narrower. Nineteen-year-old German newcomer Lisa Baum marked her competitive debut with a superb goal in the 10th minute, surging forward and finishing from a difficult angle to give the Gunners a 1-0 win at Brighton. Arsenal had opportunities to add to the lead after halftime but never found a second, leaving Brighton within striking distance until the end.

Liverpool produced the day’s most emphatic result, spoiling Charlton Athletic’s WSL debut with a 4-0 victory at The Valley. Center back Grace Fisk scored twice, including an eighth-minute opener, before Vivien Endemann added a goal on her Liverpool debut and Cornelia Kapocs converted a stoppage-time penalty.

Tottenham also started strongly with a 3-1 win over West Ham, led by a brace from Kirsty Hanson on her competitive Spurs debut after Signe Gaupset opened the scoring. Crystal Palace marked its return to the WSL with a 1-0 victory over Everton, surviving several late scares after Lexi Lloyd-Smith scored the game’s only goal in the 34th minute.

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup | Poland

The United States opened its World Cup with a damaging 2-1 loss to Italy, surrendering an early lead and leaving itself under immediate pressure in Group D.

Micayla Johnson put the Americans ahead in the 18th minute after Emeri Adames drove a low ball across goal, but Italy equalized before halftime through Paola Fadda. Giada Pellegrino Cimò completed the comeback in the 59th minute after Caroline Birkel could not control a cross into the six-yard box. The U.S. pushed hard for an equalizer and appeared to find one in stoppage time when Sealey Strawn scored after Kennedy Fuller hit the post, only for VAR to rule Strawn offside by inches.

Italy’s victory came in its first U-20 World Cup appearance in 14 years, while the U.S. now faces a difficult Wednesday matchup with Japan. The 2024 runner-up also opened with a win, beating New Zealand 2-1 behind two goals from substitute Miyu Matsunaga. Elsewhere, France was held to a 1-1 draw by South Korea, while Ecuador beat Ghana 3-0 behind a goal and assist from Rosa Flores and two goals from Doménica Arboleda.

NWSL

Denver Summit delivered one of the biggest results of its expansion season, shutting out league-leading Gotham FC 3-0 in front of a sellout crowd. Yuzuki Yamamoto broke the deadlock early in the second half before Olivia Thomas and Yazmeen Ryan added late goals, snapping Gotham’s club-record 10-match regular-season unbeaten streak and handing the league leaders their first loss since July 4.

North Carolina produced the day’s most dominant performance, crushing Chicago 6-0 behind Ashley Sanchez’s first career NWSL hat trick. Sanchez now leads the Golden Boot race with 18 goals and broke the league’s single-season scoring record for an American player, while she and Evelyn Ijeh have combined for a record 29 goals by a pair of teammates.

Elsewhere, Washington came from behind to beat Portland 2-1 for its first road win over the Thorns in club history, with Mélissa Bethi scoring the 80th-minute winner from a Trinity Rodman cross. Orlando defeated Houston 3-1 as Barbra Banda scored her 14th goal of the season to break the Pride’s single-season club record, while Seattle edged San Diego 1-0 after the Wave were reduced to 10 players early.

NCAA Volleyball (Top 25)

What was supposed to be one of the showcase events of the young college volleyball season instead became a frustrating reminder that indoor volleyball and outdoor baseball stadiums may not be the easiest combination.

A crowd of 43,067 packed Wrigley Field for #1 Nebraska against Missouri, but the highly anticipated match lasted only 18 points before unsafe court conditions brought the night to an early end. Players were struggling to keep their footing almost immediately as humidity left the temporary Taraflex surface slick, and several slipped during the opening points. Play was stopped while players and staff members got down on their hands and knees with towels attempting to dry the court, and after a delay the teams tried again. Nebraska built an 11-7 lead before the surface became problematic once more and play was suspended for a second time. Officials eventually canceled the match altogether.

It was a disappointing ending to an event that looked spectacular in theory. Wrigley provided a memorable backdrop, but even during the earlier match the setup felt somewhat awkward, with most fans in the permanent seating located well away from the court and those on the field positioned much closer to playing level. The overwhelmingly Nebraska-heavy crowd was clearly waiting for the nightcap, only to see the marquee match abandoned before the first set was halfway complete. One positive for the Huskers: the special pinstriped uniforms certainly looked the part in a baseball stadium.

The first half of the Wrigley doubleheader did reach its conclusion, with #3 Kentucky beating #13 Penn State 3-1 behind 21 kills from Brooklyn DeLeye. Elsewhere, #6 Louisville swept #9 Texas for its fourth ranked win through six matches, #18 TCU swept #14 Purdue and #22 Tennessee stayed unbeaten with a straight-set win over #21 Indiana.

#2 Pittsburgh recovered from a 25-15 opening-set loss to beat Utah in four, #23 Colorado survived Northern Colorado in five and #25 Oregon rallied past Washington State in four. #4 Stanford beat Marquette 3-1, while #17 Florida and #15 USC both earned sweeps.

Frauen-Bundesliga

Wolfsburg produced a remarkable late escape against Werder Bremen, scoring twice in the final minutes to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory. Bremen led through Luna Vanzeir and, after Mara Alber equalized, went back in front through Elena Dhont in the 64th minute. Camilla Küver finally pulled Wolfsburg level in the 88th, then struck again in the fourth minute of stoppage time to complete the comeback just days after Wolfsburg’s painful Champions League elimination to Inter Milan.

Bayern Munich had a much smoother afternoon, beating Freiburg 4-1 to extend its Bundesliga unbeaten run to a league-record 45 matches. Momoko Tanikawa scored twice, including a spectacular opener from just behind midfield, while Vanessa Gilles and Klara Bühl added the other goals as Bayern improved to 3-0.

Newly promoted Stuttgart also remained unbeaten, rescuing a 3-3 draw at Nürnberg when Nicole Billa scored her second goal of the match in the 90th minute.

NCAA Women’s Soccer (Top 20)

Brown delivered the biggest shock of Sunday’s ranked slate, dismantling #13 UCF 7-0 in Providence and handing the previously unbeaten Knights their first loss. The Bears scored after only 90 seconds, led 4-0 by halftime and never let up, with Corine Gregory finishing with two goals and an assist.

#5 Wake Forest also stayed perfect, beating #21 Florida 2-1 behind Sierra Sythe’s first career brace, while #1 Stanford rolled past Santa Clara 4-0 as Jaden Thomas recorded her first career hat trick and assisted the other goal.

Elsewhere, #15 Florida State drew Rice 1-1, #9 North Carolina edged Arizona State 1-0, #10 Tennessee beat Northwestern 1-0 and #7 West Virginia stayed perfect with a 1-0 win over Marshall. #8 Ohio State beat #23 Memphis 3-1, Texas upset #19 TCU 1-0, #16 Wisconsin beat Central Michigan 6-2, #20 South Carolina defeated College of Charleston 6-1, #3 Vanderbilt improved to 7-0 with a 4-1 win over Xavier, and #12 Virginia drew Georgetown 0-0.

NCAA Field Hockey (Top 10)

#13 Maryland stayed unbeaten with a 3-2 shootout victory over #6 Duke, winning the shootout 3-1, while #10 North Carolina knocked off #2 Princeton 1-0 after the teams went scoreless through regulation and overtime before the Tar Heels took the shootout 3-2.

Elsewhere, Ohio State upset #5 Virginia 2-1, #3 Harvard beat #9 UConn 1-0 and #1 Northwestern stayed perfect with a 2-0 win at Boston College. #7 Wake Forest routed Ohio 6-1, #4 Iowa crushed Ball State 8-0 and #8 Michigan beat Vermont 4-1.

Northern Super League

Montréal Roses strengthened their hold on first place with a 3-2 win over second-place Ottawa Rapid FC. Montréal led 2-0 early before Ottawa fought back to equalize, but Noémi Paquin scored the winner in the 87th minute to give the Roses a four-point cushion atop the standings.

Liga MX Femenil

Tigres UANL stayed perfect with a 3-0 win over Santos Laguna, improving to 6-0 behind goals from Maricarmen Reyes, María Sánchez and Alison González. Cruz Azul also won on the road, beating Querétaro 2-0 with both goals coming in the final 10 minutes.

FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series Final | Shanghai

France defeated Rapid Bucharest 22-14 to win the season-ending Women’s Series Final in Shanghai, with Laetitia Guapo earning MVP honors. It was France’s first Series stop victory of 2026 and its third overall Women’s Series championship.

WWE Sunday Night’s Main Event

Jade Cargill, Michin and B-Fab defeated Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley after a costly miscommunication between Flair and Paxley. The pair collided during a botched double Figure 8 attempt, allowing Cargill to capitalize with Jaded and pin Flair for the win.