The US Open 2020 is the ‘Mother of all Grand Slams’. Despite the low attendance and the pull-out of major stars due to the coronavirus situation, this US Open has achieved something unique. For the first time in the history of Grand Slams, three mothers will be in the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time. Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Tsvetana Pironkova have all entered the quarterfinals of the US Open 2020 and it promises to be a very interesting second week. Serena is the favorite to win her 24th Grand Slam title which would put her level with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam titles won by a female player.
Serena Williams became a mother in 2017 when she gave birth to her daughter Olympia. Serena had married Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian in 2017. Azarenka has one son Leo with her former boyfriend Billy McKeague and she was involved in a bitter custodial battle for two years. Pironkova married a former Bulgarian football player Mihail Mirchev in 2016 and in 2018, gave birth to her son Alexander.
Progress of all mothers
Serena Williams on Monday cruised into the quarterfinals of the US Open after securing a win over Maria Sakkari.Williams registered a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 victory over No.15 seed to advance in the competition.It took Williams two hours 29 minutes to secure a last-eight matchup against Tsvetana Pironkova, who overcame Alize Cornet, with the six-time winner extending her record to 105 wins to just 13 losses at major play at Flushing Meadows.This was Williams` 100th win on Arthur Ashe, becoming the only player to reach the number, and also, a 53rd Grand Slam quarter.
Pironkova has not seen her son in two weeks and the tearful Bulgarian dedicated her astonishing U.S. Open run to her two-year-old after she surprised the field by advancing to her first ever quarter-final in New York on Monday. Pironkova’s last tournament was at Wimbledon in 2017 and the unranked 32-year-old secured her place in the draw at Flushing Meadows with a protected ranking given to players who take a maternity break.
Unfancied and overlooked, not many expected her to make it to the second week at the start of the tournament but she has come through with notable scalps such as twice Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza and 18th seed Donna Vekic. On Monday, Pironkova battled through fatigue in a near-three hour contest to beat France`s Alize Cornet 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3 in the last-16 and then choked back tears while talking about her son Alexander.
"I haven’t seen him in two weeks," she said. "It’s very tough, it gets tougher every day. I know he’s watching me and I know he’s proud of me - and it’s worth it."
Azarenka reached the US Open quarter-finals for the first time since 2015 after overcoming Czech 20th seed Karolina Muchova 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. Muchova was on top early before Azarenka steadied to advance in two and a half hours.
