Three of the remaining eight quarterfinalists in the 2020 edition of the US Open are moms.
Tsvetana Pironkova dispatched Alize Cornet in three sets on Monday morning at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The Bulgarian star pulled back her tennis play after Wimbledon in 2017 and her last appearance in a Grand Slam semifinal was there at the Championships in 2010. Two years ago, Women’s Tennis Blog posted that her son Alexander was born in March 2018 when she was 30 years old.
She joins a high profile duo remaining in contention to win the US Open who had also added to their family. Victoria Azarenka was victorious in her contest against No. 20 Kristina Muchova on Monday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She gave birth to her son Leo in December 2016.
The Belorussian discussed this tremendous development with the ESPN broadcast team: “It’s inspiring. I hope it’s inspiring for other women that they continue to go for their dreams and don’t only identify as mothers but continue to do what they want to do.” Azarenka, who won the Cincinnati Open in Queens after Naomi Osaka forfeited to rest, has a matchup with Elise Mertens, who is ranked 18th in the world.
Serena Williams, mom to Alexis Olympia, triumphed in three sets over Maria Sakkari yesterday afternoon on Ashe. Williams will now face off against Pironkova, which certainly assures that at least one mom will appear in the US Open Women’s Semifinal.
With circumstances revolving coronavirus, Ashleigh Barty, Bianca Andreescu, Simona Halep, and Elina Svitolina, among other notable women’s singles players, announced that they would not travel to the United States. Even with key players not present, the mild conditions and the imposing atmosphere of competitiveness in New York have not changed. The women’s bracket remained at its standard size of 128 players, which, if anything, will ensure that the Women’s Singles scene continues to be wide open for one to dominate. Naomi Osaka, who faces rising American Shelby Rogers, is currently the foreboding figure in the field even with concerns about her hamstring. With all the noise going around with the different look of the tournament itself and the lack of an audience, many players will still insist the game is the same.
“I feel like I’m pretty vocal with or without a crowd. … I’m super passionate. This is my job,” says Serena Williams. “This is what I wake up to do. This is what I train to do, 365 days of the year.”
For the first time in Grand Slam history, three moms are into the quarterfinal.
1. Serena Williams
2. Victoria Azarenka
3. Tsvetana Pironkova— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2020
Main Photo from Getty.
