Mercury-Sky even at 1-1; Fernandez & Andreescu OUT at Indian Wells

The 4% Rising... It's what's on TV.

Oct 15, 2021

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WNBA Playoffs

Can we really ask for much more? The WNBA playoffs have been filled with dramatic moments, blowout victories, and a lot of free basketball… The Finals are no exception!

The 2021 WNBA Finals are underway between the fifth seed Phoenix Mercury and sixth seed Chicago Sky. Game 1 saw the Sky take the win on Mercury home court in a 91-77 victory. Chicago blew up in the second quarter, going on a 17-0 run and outsourcing Phoenix 26-10.

Kahleah Copper was outstanding, finishing a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, and added three assists and two steals. Allie Quigley and Candace Parker helped their squad close this one out finishing with 18 points and 16 points, respectively.

Chicago Sky @chicagosky

😤😤😤

Chicago Sky @chicagosky

𝐊𝐀𝐇𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐇. 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑.

The second game was a slightly different story… It was a tight one and seemed like it could go either way. The Sky forced the game into OT, but the Mercury took this one 91-86 to even out the series before momentum shifts to Chicago’s home court.

Like Diana Taurasi said, Brittney Griner was incredible. She dropped a game-high 29 points and nine rebounds. And DT was pretty incredible herself, totalling eight of her 20 points in overtime.

Phoenix Mercury - X @PhoenixMercury

A look at that Diana and-1 from deep is just too sweet. 👏

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what either team has in store for Game 3 tonight.

🏆 WNBA Finals games this weekend:

G3: Phoenix Mercury at Chicago Sky - Friday at 9 p.m. ET
G4: Phoenix Mercury at Chicago Sky - Sunday at 3 p.m. ET

Check out the WNBA Finals weekend action on TSN, TSN.ca, ESPN, ESPN2 or with WNBA League Pass!

Canadian Long Track Championships

Down to the VERY last second is how I like my sports. The 2021 Canadian Long Track Championships continues in Calgary, and it is a nail-biter!

Brooklyn McDougall, the 23-year-old from Calgary, took first place in the women’s 500-metre long-track event. She beat Marsha Hudey of Saskatchewan by hundredths — yes, HUNDRETHS — of a second with a total time of 37.851. Hudey placed in second (37.856s) and Kaylin Irvine of Alberta placed third (37.93s) on Wednesday.

Canada Games | Jeux du Canada @CanadaGames

Setting the ice on fire. 🔥 Yesterday, 3 Canada Games alumni were crowned Canadian Long Track Champions! 🏆 🥇 @brook_mcdougall (Team Alberta) - 500m 🥇 @Dubreuil92 (@EquipeduQuebec) - 500m 🥇 @i_weidemann (@GoTeamOntario) - 3000m 📸: @SSC_PVC

Isabelle Weidemann outdid herself! She recorded a NATIONAL record in the 5000-metre on Thursday with a time of six minutes 46.81 seconds. Her previous time was 6:47.34 set back in 2019. Eighteen-year-old Laura Hall from British Columbia was Weidemann's sole competitor, but it still wasn’t enough to catch the Ottawa native. Hall clocked in at 7:22.61.

There is still so much speed skating left and I am all over it this weekend!

Check out these weekend Canadian Long Track Championships events:

Women's 1000m - Friday at 6 p.m. ET
Women's 1500m - Saturday at 6 p.m. ET
Women's Mass Start - Sunday at 6 p.m. ET

Don’t miss any second of the Canadian Long Track Championships with live coverage on CBC Sports!

Indian Wells

Palm Springs gets dibs on everything: Coachella, the American Express, and “Tennis Paradise” known as the Indian Wells Masters.

The first major sporting event to be cancelled due to COVID-19 in March of 2020 has begun! The best of the best have gathered to compete for the number one prize, with fans from around the globe cheering them on.

BNP Paribas Open @BNPPARIBASOPEN

Final 4️⃣ 🇹🇳 Jabeur v. Badosa 🇪🇸 🇧🇾 Azarenka v. Ostapenko 🇱🇻 #BNPPO21

All eyes were on US Open finals contestants Emma Raducanu of England and Leylah Fernandez of Canada, buuuut they made a quick exit out of California. Earlier, Canadian star Bianca Andreescu was also eliminated in the third round of the women’s singles. This was Andreescu’s first loss in nine matches at Indian Wells.

Tennis Canada @TennisCanada

Incredible fight from Leylah Fernandez, but she falls just short in the fourth round of the #BNPPO21 to Shelby Rogers. Fernandez saved match point at 5-6 in the 3rd, but ultimately lost in a final set tiebreak 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). Still a career-best result at the WTA 1000 level!

Three top five seeds have left the building… Is mercury still in retrograde? With the Quarter Finals currently underway, you don’t want to miss this. Seriously!

My tennis obsession is real, and with the Quarters almost over, I can’t wait to see these matches:

Singles

Semifinals: Azarenka vs. Ostapenko - Friday at 9 p.m.
Semifinals: Jabeur vs. Badosa - Friday 10:15 p.m.

Doubles

Final: Kudermetova & Rybakina vs. Mertens & Hsieh - Saturday (time TBD)

For more BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells shocks, questions and upsets, tune into TSN and TSN.ca, as well as the Tennis Channel all weekend long!

Women’s Sports on TV Guide

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Only 4% of national airtime is devoted to women’s sports. At The 4% our objective is to promote what, when, and where to watch women’s sports to help raise awareness and grow the audience for women’s sports on TV.

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