US Open is Mums’ delight

New York, Sept. 4: Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Tsvetana Pironkova made up a ‘Band of Mothers’ who marched into the third round of the US Open on Thursday.

Williams, Azarenka and Pironkova were part of a cluster of nine mums who started this week’s women’s singles tournament at Flushing Meadows. Six of the nine — Kim Clijsters, Vera Zvonareva, Tatjana Maria, Kateryna Bondarenko, Patricia Maria Tig and Olga Govortsova — have been eliminated.

But unranked Bulgarian Pironkova — playing her first tournament in three years after a break to have her first child — prolonged her participation with a 7-5, 6-3 upset of Spanish 10th Garbine Muguruza.

Former world number one Serena also advanced on Thursday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan.

Serena and Pironkova were later joined by Azarenka, another former world number one who beat Belarussian compatriot and fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-1, 6-3.

Pironkova, who gave birth to her son Alexander in April 2018, says motherhood has given her a new perspective on her tennis career.

Serena’s American compatriot Sofia Kenin, the number two seed, continued her impressive form this year with a straightforward 6-4, 6-3 victory over Canadian Leylah Fernandez to progress into the third round. The reigning Australian Open champion is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows as she bids for her second Grand Slam title of the year, and of her career.

Only three women — Belgium’s Clijsters and Australians Evonne Goolagong and Margaret Court — have won Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era after having children.

Azarenka, meanwhile, said she hoped she could help inspire working parents everywhere. “Pretty incredible, right?” she said when asked to comment on the nine mothers who started the tournament. —