23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams held her own and even resorted to hitting two left-handed shots during crucial games, however she found the will to tip the match in her favour at the end of the day.
Serena, who turns 39 later this month, wasn’t dominant or precise in her U.S. Open quarterfinal match against Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria on Wednesday but managed to prevail, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, in a rare match of female tennis players who also are mothers.
Serena’s daughter, Alexis Olympia, turned 3 years old last week; Pironkova gave birth to a son, Alexander in April 2018 and stepped away from competitive tennis for more than three years.
“This shows me how tough moms are. Whenever you can birth a baby, you can do anything,” Williams said during an on-court TV interview. “I’m happy to be standing here talking to you because at one point I was pretty close to not being here.”
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Williams’ semifinal opponent on Thursday will be the winner of Wednesday’s second semifinal between Victoria Azarenka and Elise Mertens. Azarenka also is a mom, to son Leo.
Williams has reached the finals in four Grand Slam events since her return from maternity leave but has lost all four, including the U.S. Open final in 2018 and again in 2019.
Pironkova was valiant in reaching the quarterfinals of her first tournament since her return, and she pushed Williams hard in the first set and the early stages of the second.
However, she visibly tired as the match went on, and Williams began to find her timing and footing. Both women had gone to three sets in the previous round. “She played unbelievable,” Williams said.
Williams won the last three games of the second set and the first two of the third before Pironkova could stop Williams’ momentum. With no spectators in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the players’ grunts and groans were loud and clear.
Serena, who turns 39 in a few weeks, did little in Pironkova’s service games and stayed in the first set mainly on the strength of her serve. However, Pironkova earned a break to go up 3-2, capitalizing on her second break point opportunity in the game.
Pironkova had two set points in the ninth game, but Williams hit a winner to save the first one and Pironkova hit a forehand long on the second occasion. But given a third chance, on her serve, Pironkova captured the first set with a backhand winner.
Pironkova, hitting vicious backhands and making few unforced errors, strengthened her hold on the match when she broke Williams’ serve in the first game of the second set.
But Williams fought hard and broke back, converting her first break point opportunity. Pironkova made her work to hold in the third game, but Williams fired three aces to hold serve and take a 2-1 lead until she saw out the rest of the game.
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