Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're congratulating the neighbors down the street with the year round giant skeletons in their yard. It only took three hundred and forty four days, but your commitment to bones is finally seasonally appropriate again. On today show, we'll be talking with Renee Stubbs, former tennis great now a commentator and host of the Renee Stubs Tennis Podcast.
We'll talk about the China Open.
Golf versus Osaka, and the biggest talents on the WTA Tour, plus positive vibes and rat sex.
It's all coming up right after this. Welcome back, my little slices. Here's what you need to know today.
The WNBA Semi Finals rolled on with the New York Liberty Top in the Las Vegas Aces eighty eight eighty four Tuesday night at the Barclay Center to take a two zero lead in the best of five series. Sabrina Nescu dropped eleven of her twenty four points in the fourth quarter and finished with nine rebounds while shooting fifty percent from the fet Brianna Stewart flirted with the triple double,
putting up fifteen points eight assists and seven rebounds. Asia Wilson attempted a season low four field goals in the first half, but ended up with twenty four points and seven rebounds to lead the Aces in their losing effort, while Jackie Young had seventeen so Liberty row at the Barclays was poppin' and Alesia Keys even paid a visit to the New York locker room after the game, Rocket a Liberty off white jacket to.
Lead the team in a little sing along concrete jungle where dreams I'm made?
Oh?
Hold up? Do we have to pay someone if I sing? Anyway?
The Liberty take a two oh lead to Vegas for Game three on Friday, needing just one win in three games to advance to the WNBA Finals. After the game, Becky Hammond was asked about calling Game two a must win and responded.
Quote, did I say it was must win? I was lying.
I was trying to bring the drama end quote. History doesn't bode well for Hammin and the Aces in this series. WNBA teams are eighteen to zero in the postseason when leading a series to nothing. The second game of the night was a low scoring defensive battle at the start but the minute, so the Links ultimately pulled away and held off multiple pushes from the Connecticut Sun, winning seventy seven to seventy to even the series at a game apiece.
Nafisa Collier was quiet again, shooting just three or fourteen from the field for nine points, and was even held without a single shot in the second quarter, but Courtney Williams picked up the slack, putting up seventeen points for Minnesota in the win. You remember, Link's coach Eryl Reeve was on this show right here telling us that this team needed a dog, so they went out and got Courtney Williams.
Well, Williams did her job. Tuesday night.
Elena Smith and Kaylea McBride added fifteen and eleven points respectively, and the Links Electric slided right on out of there with a dub the Wind snapped a seven game losing skid for the Links against the Sun on their home court in Minnesota, given the credits first chance in quite a while to chant our house, our house as the
clock wound down. Alissa Thomas led four Sun starters and double figures with eighteen points, ten boards, and seven assists, while Dewana Bonner had seventeen points in the loss, she passed to make a catchings for a third place on the all time playoffs points list in the process. That series heads to Uncasville, Connecticut, for Game three on Friday
in the NWSL. The Houston Dash announced in a statement on Tuesday that the team has parted ways with head coach fran Alonso, three months after he disappeared from the sidelines. Alonso hasn't coached a match for the club since June twenty second. The Dash initially said his hiatus was due to illness, and has more recently called it a leave of absence. Team reps still haven't elaborated further on the
reason behind it. Ricky Clark will continue serving as the interim coach for the rest of the season, a role he's held since the team's June twenty eighth match against the Kansas City Current Clark is the sixth person to coach the Dash since the start of twenty twenty two.
That's a lot of turnover.
Houston also said that the team will hire a general manager soon and that person will be responsible for hiring the next head coach. The Dash has been without a GM since Alex Singer was fired in late July. Houston's currently last in the NWSL standings with four games left to play. Also, an NWSL News voting for the Lauren
Holiday Impact Award is now open. The award honors the work, community involvement and ex sample set by the two time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women's World Cup champion, and recipient of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian SB Award. Teams are already lobbying for their players, so if you want to vote, go ahead and get to it.
Oh and you can.
Vote daily, So if you really feel strongly about someone, set your alarm, vote for them every day while you make your coffee. The voting closes on Halloween and we'll link to where you can make your selection in our show notes. Also, our thoughts are going out to all
of those impacted by Hurricane Helen. The NWSL's North Carolina Courage announced that significant proceeds from this Saturday's home match against the San Diego Wave will be donated to United Way relief Funds to help those impact it in western North Carolina. NWSL Players Association Executive Director Megan Burke, who's based in Asheville, has also been letting people know how to help. She wrote that her community is especially in need of baby supplies.
Will link to places where you can donate in the show notes.
In tennis, Coco Goff advanced to the quarterfinals with the China Open on Tuesday after Naomi Osaka retired with a back injury. The pair split the first two sets before four. Osaka bout out were guarded four. We wanted to see that one go the distance. We'll talk a little bit more about that match and the China Open with Renee
Stubbs in a little bit. In college volleyball, there are quite a few top twenty five teams in action tonight, including number seven Texas hosting South Carolina in an SEC showdown, and number nine Wisconsin panavisit to Rutgers, both at seven thirty Eastern. Over in the acc it's rivalry Time, UNC takes their talents to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke at six thirty pm Eastern. We'll link to the full volleyball schedule for the night in our show notes. Finally,
shout out to Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink. On Monday, she revealed her engagement via some gorgeous picks on social and good job to her fiance Ben Felter, a former Stanford rower, who popped the question on the rooftop at the Shango La Hotel in Paris Ooh La La Trei chic. According to People magazine, Brink was attending a Balenciaga show and Felter flew out the surpriser after fibbing and saying he had to stay back in the States for work.
Also her caption, yes in every lifetime, so cute. Speaking of cute, those two are like super athlete, super tall, Barbie and Ken go.
Look at the posts. We got to take a quick break. When we come back, we say gooday and talk tennis with my friend from down on da Renee Stubs. We'll be back in a jiff. Welcome back Slices.
Just want to let you know that this segment includes a brief mention of allegations of sexual assault. All right, let's talk a little tennis and the China Open. She's the host of the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast right here on Iheartwomen's Sports. A tennis commentator for multiple outlets including ESPN, A four time Olympian, a former number one doubles player in the world, with sixty tournament wins, including six Grand Slams, to her name. She's a New York Liberty season ticket holder.
We went wild in the South of France's summer popp and bottles and pretending we were Flage's tech crew. And I can't wait to ask her a question that sets her up to say, nar it's our favorite Aussie Renee Stubbs.
What's up or day?
Well, it's uh, Sarah, nice to see you, my friend.
You too.
I'm wondering right now what the percentage of tennis watching versus WNBA playoffs watching is.
It's a bit fifty to fifty right now.
I got to say my intensity for the WNBA is a little bit higher than the than the tennis. Believe it or not, because you know, as you can see, let's.
Go in New York.
You know I am.
I am fully into the Liberty they're playing against tonight. It's been a great series already because we are up one zero. But I of course am watching the tennis.
Yes, tennis and WNBA. We got a double screen thing happen. And the good news is the tennis was a is early and is in a completely different country, so fewer conflicts you have to start with the question that we are going to ask every tennis guest on this podcast.
What color is a tennis ball?
A tennis ball is a very highlighted green. Yet I don't know.
Actually, it's like a lime like it's like a it's like a it's like a highlighted it's like a wham color.
Yeah, nobody knows if it's green or yellow. It's kind of brat.
Yeah, it's more yellow.
It's more yellow.
It's yellow.
Let's talk China Open.
I want to zoom out and ask about the reaction to the tournament because I saw a handful of tweets about poorly attended matches in the early rounds.
Is that often an issue for this tournament?
Because I've also seen some of the Chinese players draw some big crowds in these later rounds.
What's the vibe around this tournament?
Yeah, listen, I mean, it's it's usual in China because people work, you know, and they don't tend to go to the tennis in the day.
It's just a thing.
And you know, because they are they're working class people and they don't have a lot of money, and the people that do have money tend to go at night, and so you know, that's not a surprise. Honestly, that's the way it is in Mexico as well. Mexico gets unbelievable fans at night and barely anyone in the day. You know, Sarah, people have jobs and so particularly right now, trust me, in China, they're looking if you're doing your as well, so you better be at work and not in the stand.
So that's a bit of a problem.
I mean, Yanick Sinner was playing the other day at first match and there was nobody in the crowd as well, and then at night it's packed, So that's a little bit of the issue.
You know.
When I heard about the China Open, I was thinking, I don't know a lot about that tournament, and I remember hearing so I went back to look and I remember that at one point the WTA actually suspended events in China. There was an issue with a player named Peng Shui who publicly posted accusing a retired Chinese vice premiere of raping her.
The news got censored in China.
She disappeared and there was a lot of concern about her well being. The WTA actually suspended events when there wasn't any proof that she wasn't being mistreated or made to disappear, quote unquote. She's made limited public appearances since then. She announced her retirement. The WTA kind of wasn't satisfied with how things went, but still announced that they would
return to play in China last year. Do you ever hear anything from players about concerns going there or lingering effects of that, or is it just a simple matter of I guess time has passed and we want that money back.
Yeah. Unfortunately, it's all about the money.
That's why the WTA are also going to Saudi Arabia to play the WTA Finals. I mean, you can't have two worse countries really for human rights than the UAE, the you know, Saudi's and of course China, so on that front.
Unfortunately, they also offer a lot.
Of money because as we know, people like to wash the money, as they say, when it comes to sports, and that's why we're seeing the WTA go back into China. Clearly, we don't still know where pun Shui is or how she's doing, and that's you know, a concern for every single player.
Of course, it comes up from time to time. But at the same time, unfortunately.
You know, these these women have to work, These women have to make money, and the WTA is to make money, and so we fall into these issues, which has been my sort of gripe for a number of years, really is where are the WTA and where are they not getting sponsorship from?
And you think about the great companies.
Like Ally for example, and you know, Deloitte and all these thanies are putting a lot of money into women's sports. Why aren't they putting it into tennis. Why aren't we going after the allies? Why don't we going after the Deloittes.
I don't know if we are or we're not, but certainly I could think of a few American companies that have a few billion dollars that could offer a sponsorship to you know, WTA finals for example, and certainly end of year schedule when I played, certainly for the first let's say twelve fifteen, twelve thirteen, fifteen years of my life, the last last couple of tournaments of the year. We're always in the United States indoors. So if we can
find a way get tournaments back here. We have the likes of Cocoa GoF, we have the likes of you know, Jessica Bogoula. There's so many women in the top twenty in the world, why don't we have more tournaments here in the US So I would like us to find some money coming from US companies rather than China and from Saudi Arabia in the future.
Yeah, the US Opens the last major of the year.
I don't know if it's changed since when you played, but right now, do you feel like a majority of players feel like the handful of tournaments in the later months at the end of the season are sort of a letdown. It feels like a strange thing to ramp up to the Open and then over the last few months be predominantly in Asia and also not have any majors or bigger tournaments.
Yeah, I've talked about this on my podcast A couple of the last couple of weeks is just not playing tournaments after the US Open. Maybe finding one or two here and there, But bottom lineers, why don't we play some exhibitions, play the Billy Jean King Cup, the Davis Cup, and really make a World Cup kind of thing after
the US Open, because it feels like mentally everyone shuts down. Look, Serena never played for the last like seven years of her career, she barely played after the US Open, and I thought that was a good move from her, to be quite honest. But you know, the lower ranked players, or the players ranked from say ten to one hundred or certainly ten to two hundred and fifty, they need to play. They need to make money. So if you put tournaments on, they're going to go. So, you know,
we have to find a better way. After the US Open, I feel certainly for the top players to see what we can do for them that's not as taxing and not as stressful, and give them a real season where they have a time off.
Speaking of top players, Coco GoF versus Naomi Osaka, we were so excited for this round of sixteen match up, their first meetings since Golf one six four, six four and twenty twenty two. They alternated wins over their four prior meetings, both coming in with new coaching teams and an unfortunate finish to this when Osaka broke Golf to lead six three, four to three. Golf then won the next three games to level the match where it's sixty three sixty three heading into a third set. It's exciting
Osaka retires due to a back injury. What are the two sets that we saw teach you about these two players and how they're playing right now?
Well, both playing better, there's no questions.
You know, a coaching change was important for the both of them, just to get fresh eyes, fresh ideas. And you know, any player will tell you that a new coach will give you some fresh ideas and just give you a different perspective. And sometimes that different perspective makes you play better just because you're not happier, but it's just fresh and so certainly that both of them that has helped them. I think Naomi's had a better draw than she's had over the last couple of months.
She's had some shocking draws at.
The Grand Slams and lost early in those events, losing to Makova at the US Open, for example, where I thought she would do really well. And Coco, you know, Coco has been really consist but she's lacked that, you know, big win over the last few months, and so it was interesting to see who was going to win it when it went to a third, but I could tell that Naomi were struggling in the second set.
Was something you could just tell on her.
Face and she started serving, like I could see that she wasn't getting the bend in her back. I wasn't sure if it was her back or stomach muscle strain, and so when she pulled the plug after the second set, you could tell that there was something wrong.
It was a shame that we didn't get to.
See the third set because it would have been interesting because when they've played each other, they've played really quick matches, and so it would have been nice to see them go the distance. But certainly good news for Cocoa, not great news for Naomi.
Yeah, Naomi looked to be in better form before the injury picked up. What have you seen from Naomi and her return to the court since she took time after injuries for the birth of her first child, Like, does she seem like the player from before or how has her game changed?
Certainly hitting the ball as well as she ever has, you know, but the consistency is still not there. I just feel like when it gets to five, six, seven balls into the point, and we saw that today in the latter part. Now, it was also an issue with the back, because she was missing quite a few back ends towards the end.
As well.
So the bottom line is she just has to get the consistency back. Once she gets the ability to make a seven eight ten ball rally, then she's going to be as good as we've seen her. Is it going to be physical, yes? Is it going to be a physical issue for her going forward? Possibly?
You know, I've not had a baby, but I'm sure it changes.
A lot of things down in that area of the back, the pell many.
Are kinds of things.
Sure, yeah, yeah, So we'll see how she can recover. But certainly having her back, you know, she's in the top sixty now, so but having her back inside the top sort of twenty or ten would be ideal for the Women's Tennis Association and certainly for every top player. I don't want to play her earlier in the tournament.
Well, that's why I want to wrap.
When you're in the end of this twenty twenty four season, when you look back at this year's action and you look ahead to twenty twenty five, what is the stat of American women's tennis? To me, it feels better than it's been in years in terms of number of players that are making a run.
Well, hold, they calm the farm on that, Sarah, because the women the United States, no Astro no is better. No, I disagree, nonis.
Australia tennis is definitely not better since Ash Party, the world number one, decided to go into retirement at like twelve. But look, the bottom line is American tennis women's tennis has been amazing for a long time. We've had Venus, Serena, Sloane Stevens, Madison Keys. I mean the list is long for Sophia Kennon, who won a Grand slams you know, Sloan won a Grand Slam. Of course, what Serena and Venus have done in their career. Danielle Collins has had
a great year. She's been in the finals of a Grand Slam in the last couple of years. The women have been great for a long long time, and I don't see that going anywhere at any time soon. Jessica Bogola just made the US Open finals, so and Coco won it last year.
So the women are doing great.
The great news is the men are doing better, and so they finally kind of got themselves into gear as well, with Taylor getting to the.
Final, Taylor Fitz getting to violent the US Open.
So I'm not worried about the women. Don't worry, Sarah. They're going to be around for a long time.
It feels like it.
I mean, going to the US Open was very cool to see how many Americans were advancing on both sides, and yeah, it's fine. It's fun to get some of these stories and we love it to see the daughters of billionaire's face off and remind everyone the tennis really is for everyone. Renee, what's coming up on your show, The Renee Dub Tennis Podcast. I heard your dog in the Labor Cup in the most recent episode talking WNBA
and golf, Like, you're expanding what you're discussing. But what can we look forward to on the pod?
You know, Sarah, I love to talk about obviously tennis. That's my thing, that's my go to. We're about to start one right now with my buddy Caitlin Thompson. We are going to talk a little bit about well, China
obviously what's happening there. We're going to talk about the Wider decision and what they're doing with Yanick Sinner because that's a little bit of a hot ticket and a hot just discussion right now in men's tennis, certainly going to talk about, you know, just some young players coming through and.
Various different things.
But you never know what's going to come out of either of our mouth, so stay tuned on that front. The bottom line is, Sarah, I will be at the Liberty game tonight. I will continue to talk about the WNBA and anything women's sports because you know me, I love it.
We love it. Thank you so much, Renee for the time. Appreciate it.
We welcome see you later.
We got to take another break when we come back. We haven't dipped into the mail bag in a little while. Let's indulge, shall.
We welcome back slices. Feels like a lot of folks in the WNBA space have been trying to offset some bad vibes with good ones, and we're here for it.
Last week we asked you to send some of your favorite players a nice message, a shout out, some sort of positive note, and that same day friend of the show Jordan Robinson started a tweet thread asking folks to share some of the good things that happened this w season.
Here are a few that folks came up with. Charter flights, the Toronto Portland expansion teams, the Skims campaign, a new media rights deal, more merch, more coverage, a sold out TD Garden game, sneaker deal, announcements for Asia Wilson, Caitlin Clark and Sydney Colson. The Valkyries selling seventeen thousand plus season ticket holder packages. Dina Tarassi getting her flowers. The new Phoenix Mercury practice facility may be the best All Star weekend ever. Sky Guy out in Chicago. Okay, that
was mine. And record breaking attendance in viewership, which brings me to a much needed good game. Good game fact. You a positive statistic, and we've got plenty to choose from this w season, but let's go with these three percentages forty eight, two, forty two and six to SOHO one.
The WNBA averaged nine eight hundred and seven fans per game. That's up forty eight percent from last season, and the league's one hundred and fifty four sellouts marked a two hundred and forty two percent increase from last season, which saw forty five sellouts. And finally, WNBA merchandise sales both online at wnbastore dot com and the flagship location in New York City were up a combined six hundred and one percent from.
Twenty twenty three.
We love to see it, and we love those positive threads so much to celebrate this season. We also love all the slices who continue to send us messages and thought the show. We really do love to hear from you guys, Like seriously, it's awesome to know that you're invested in what we've got going on here, and we're always down for guest suggestions, feedback, whatever else is on your mind. Okay, enough of the sappiness, let's get to
the material. First up, After Mesh took a few turns handling our need to know segment this week, Hagi Altser tweeted that they're the cool babysitter and said, imagine how much fun the kids would have with at Mesh the journalist as substitute coach.
We got candy instead of orange slices. We didn't have to play any defense.
Okay, first, I got a note here that Mish was quick to let us know that they're not a pushover, and especially not as a coach. Mish is sweet, but not too sweet. Candy is a hard yes for them, though, and I'm also going to ignore that if Misha is the cool babysitter. That makes me the uncool mom, and I need y'all to note there are no rules in this house.
I'm not like a regular mom. I'm a cool mom. Right, Please stop talking.
Next up, Whitney Corlis, send us an email that reads, love this show.
Really need a hoops and gay shit shirt? I'll pay good money.
That's interesting, Whitney, because we've been thinking a lot about merch too.
Who else wants some like a cool shirt that says I'm a.
Slice with like oranges on it and like maybe like a whole series of hoops and gay shit, pucks and gay shit.
All Right, we're on it. We're on it.
We love that you're listening, but we want you to get in the game every day too. So here's our good gameplay of the day.
Send us what merch you want to rock.
We'd love to hear your ideas, and of course, subscribe to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcasts. And please don't forget to send me those malort faces. Find something to celebrator, maybe more appropriately, find something to mourn and pass along the mi alort Send me those reaction shots at Sarah
Spain on Twitter. We love to hear from you to hit us up on email, good game at wondermedianetwork dot com, or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two oh four fifty seventy and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. It's easy slices. Watch being jealous of New York City rats rating zero out of five Pizza Rats review. In an effort to control its rat population, New York City City Council has approved a measure that will feed
ratituian friends birth control. The program approves putting a contraceptive pellet called ContraPest in special rat accessible containers across the city. They hope that the measure will sterilize the rats and limit the population without having choose poison to kill them,
which endangers pets and kids and other animals. You remember Flocco, That was that beautiful Eurasian eagle owl that escaped the Central Berg Zoo and was living amongst the people of New York but later sadly died after crashing to a building and had rat poison in his stomach.
Yeah, so thankfully they're trying to avoid that. And apparently this rat birth control is delicious. Per a council member, quote, it's salty, it's sweet, and it has fatty materials within it. End quote. The rats won't be able to resist that.
You're telling me that New York City rats not only get better healthcare than the women of America, their birth control is delicious too, Free sweet and salty contraceptives for.
Rats, but not for us brats. How rude. Don't forget to vote in November, slices, or you and your sex positive friends might have to go scavenging for rap bait.
Now it's your turn, rate and review. Thanks for listening as always, see you tomorrow. Good game, Renee, good game, and congrats cam Brink you people trying to control women's reproductive rights. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones.
Our executive producers are.
Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch and Lindsay Cradowell.
Production assistants from Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain.