THE EVE EDITION
FIRST BLUSH | TUE OCT 13
Spain is back on American soil tonight, three days after taking the USWNT apart in Washington, and the rematch at Subaru Park closes an October window that has already given Emma Hayes plenty to think about. Before then, Europe settles the first round of its World Cup play-offs, with England, the Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland all carrying leads into their second legs and Poland chasing a goal against Belgium in Gdańsk, while Germany hosts Japan in Bremen.
Texas leads the St Andrews Links Collegiate after one round on the Jubilee Course, and the top two teams after today’s round play for the title on the Old Course on Wednesday. Indiana, Illinois and Missouri share the lead going into the final round at Medinah. Wuhan’s second round arrives overnight, with Iga Świątek, Elina Svitolina, Karolína Muchová and #2 Jessica Pegula all opening their tournaments, and NXT’s women’s division returns from Orlando.
Spain at United States
Spain won Saturday’s first meeting 2-0 in Washington before 19,220, with goals from Patri Guijarro in the third minute and Eva Navarro in the 14th. Tonight’s rematch at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, is the USWNT’s last match before the Concacaf W Championship opens against El Salvador on November 27 in Mansfield, Texas, where a quarterfinal win secures a place at the 2027 World Cup. Ashley Sanchez, the NWSL’s leading scorer with 20 goals, is pushing for a start, and Mallory Swanson is still looking for her first goal since returning from maternity leave.
EVE’s Edge: United States to win, 2-1. Spain’s midfield controlled Saturday, but a home crowd, fresher legs and Sanchez’s form should give Hayes the response she wants.
#2 Jessica Pegula vs. Jelena Ostapenko
Jessica Pegula plays her first match in more than a month after skipping Singapore and Beijing, and Wuhan holds good memories: she reached last year’s final before losing to Coco Gauff. The #2 seed, fourth in the race for the WTA Finals, has won four of their six meetings, including a three-setter at Indian Wells in March. Ostapenko needed only 59 minutes to beat Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-1 in the first round, hitting 35 winners in 14 games. The Latvian, a Wuhan semifinalist in 2017, plays the kind of first-strike tennis that can take the racket out of anyone’s hands.
EVE’s Edge: Pegula in three sets. Ostapenko will have stretches where she cannot miss, but Pegula’s return and movement should wear down her errors over a long match.
#7 Iga Świątek vs. Magdalena Fręch
Iga Świątek opens in Wuhan against a fellow Pole who was not supposed to be in the draw. Magdalena Fręch lost in qualifying to Aoi Ito and got in as a lucky loser when Oleksandra Oliynykova withdrew injured. Świątek, who beat Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the Toronto final this summer, is 10th in the race for the WTA Finals, and only the title here would lift her past Karolína Muchová, whose 4,615 points sit 816 ahead of hers in the last qualifying place. Her best Wuhan result is last year’s quarterfinal. The #7 seed had a first-round bye, and the winner meets Shuai Zhang or one of two lucky losers.
EVE’s Edge: Świątek in straight sets. Fręch knows her game well, but Świątek’s depth on a medium-paced court should leave her little room.
Texas vs. Penn vs. Washington vs. St Andrews
Texas leads the St Andrews Links Collegiate by six shots after a 5-under 355 on the Jubilee Course, with Washington second, and the top two teams after today’s round meet for the title on the Old Course. The individual race is tighter. Washington’s Hannah Ounap, a Scot, opened with a 6-under 66 that included an eagle at the 3rd, one ahead of Farah O’Keefe, the world’s #1 amateur. Texas’ Charlotte Naughton shot 70 in her first college event. Six play and five count each round, and Penn and the host University of St Andrews are tied for third.
EVE’s Edge: O’Keefe takes the individual title. Ounap has the home links instinct, but O’Keefe is the most complete player in the field, and Texas reaches the final with room to spare.
#6 Karolína Muchová vs. Caty McNally
Karolína Muchová arrives with a 43-11 record, has not lost a tiebreak in 2026 and is 8-3 in her career in third-set tiebreaks. The #6 seed had a first-round bye. The Czech sits in the last qualifying place in the race for the WTA Finals, so every round in Wuhan carries points she needs. Caty McNally came through qualifying, then rallied from a set down against Yuliia Starodubtseva to win 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-4. McNally’s all-court game and willingness to come forward can trouble anyone, and she has three matches in her legs. The winner plays #11 Diana Shnaider or Yulia Putintseva.
EVE’s Edge: Muchová in straight sets. Her variety and her serve have carried her through tight sets all year, and she should own the big points.
ELSEWHERE
Wuhan’s night session opens at 7:00 AM on Tennis Channel with lucky loser Ashlyn Krueger against Shuai Zhang, followed by wild cards Mia Pohánková and Xiyu Wang, with the winner meeting Maria Sakkari, who knocked out #8 Marta Kostyuk overnight. Later, #5 Elina Svitolina plays Liudmila Samsonova, #9 Belinda Bencic meets Sonay Kartal and #11 Diana Shnaider faces Yulia Putintseva, and Hanyu Guo returns after saving three match points against #12 Sorana Cîrstea.
Poland trails Belgium 1-0 going into its second leg in Gdańsk at noon, England carries a 3-1 lead against Greece into Leicester, and Scotland leads Czechia 2-0 in Glasgow. The Netherlands and Ireland bring 8-0 leads into home legs against Hungary and Kazakhstan. Germany hosts Japan at 11:45 AM after beating Australia 4-2 on Friday, and Australia plays Haiti in Chambly, France, at 3:00 PM.
Brazil hosts Argentina again after winning 3-1 in Porto Alegre on Saturday, and Mexico hosts Jamaica at 9:00 PM after Jamaica won Friday’s first meeting. At Medinah, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri share the lead at 16-under going into the final round of the Illini Women’s Invitational at 10:00 AM, and NXT airs from Orlando at 8:00 PM on The CW, with La Catalina defending the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship against Kali Armstrong.