Onward

The GIST: The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals (the last tournament of the WTA Tour) is underway, with two standout players already clinching their spot in the semis and a stacked doubleheader on deck this morning. Now that’s a serve.

The context: Outside of tennis’ four majors (the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open), the WTA Finals is the most important tournament for pro women’s players, with only the top eight singles and doubles competitors in the world fighting for record-setting prize money.

• This year, in the face of lengthy human rights and sportswashing concerns from women’s tennis athletes, the event is taking place in Saudi Arabia (SA), disregarding the country’s historic persecution of feminists, atheists, and LGBTQIA+ citizens.

• Despite backlash, SA’s influence in tennis is growing across the women’s and men’s game.

• In February, SA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) reached a five-year sponsorship deal with the ATP (men’s tennis’ governing body) that includes naming rights for their ranking system, before reaching a similar deal with the WTA in May.

How the WTA Finals work: Transitioning to the on-court action, the tourney’s eight singles players were drawn into two groups of four for the ongoing group stage, which is round-robin style. The top two players in each group advance to Friday’s semis, and the two semis winners face off in Saturday’s final.

The recap: World No. 3 Coco Gauff defeated No. 2 Iga Świątek yesterday for just the second time in 13 attempts, clinching a semis spot. Świątek’s loss also ensures that Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year as No. 1, which isn’t a surprise given Sabalenka’s won 22 of her last 23 matches.

• Like Gauff, Sabalenka has already locked in her semis appearance, but Świątek and No. 4 Jasmine Paolini are among the big names looking to join them. Stay tuned.

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🏀 NBA: Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — ESPN

• This mid-week matchup has something for everyone. If you like offense, tune in for two of the best scorers in the game in the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum. Defense more your style? Well, both defenses rank top-five in the league. Say less.

🏈 NFL: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens — Tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. ET — Amazon Prime

• An AFC North showdown featuring the Ravens’ league-best offense vs. a suddenly surging Bengals team that’s won three of their last four? Much like Shrek, this sequel won’t disappoint.

🎓🏐 NCAA women’s volleyball: No. 2 Nebraska vs. No. 12 Oregon — Tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET — Big Ten Network

• These Big Ten powerhouses are going head-to-head for the first time since 2022, trading bumps, sets, and spikes in Eugene, Oregon. The 17-4 Ducks have been serving all season, but the Cornhuskers are riding an incredible 19-game win streak — can Oregon pull off the conference upset?

The only thing worse than watching your team blow a lead? Having unexpected medical expenses impact your personal finance game.

• That’s why Aflac provides supplemental health insurance coverage — they’re all about paying cash to help close gaps health insurance can leave behind. The best offense is a good defense.