Serena Williams and Tsvetana Pironkova created a maternal confrontation in the quarterfinals of the US Open, on September 9.

Since returning after giving birth, Serena has four Grand Slam finals, including twice at the US Open. But the four finals were completely lost, making her sister Williams unable to balance Margaret Court’s 24 Grand Slam record.

Serena lost after set in the last two rounds

Possessing 23 major titles, Serena is very close to a record. Even though she is about to turn 39, the motivation of a mother-of-child has never diminished at the Grand Slams. In this year’s US Open, Serena understands this could be her last chance, after two consecutive years of failure in the final.

The careful preparation for the home league and the determination in the matches is a testament to Serena’s desire to conquer. The last two matches with younger opponents, Sloane Stephens and Maria Sakkari, Serena were very close to defeat but both escaped. She beat Stephens after losing the first set 2-6 and defeated Sakkari even though she soon lost the game delivered in the third set.

Serena’s steps were no longer serene, but her physical and mental strength remained. In the fourth round match against Sakkari, screaming after an important score helped the owner of the six US Open championships stay with the tournament. With six players in the top 10 out of the competition, Serena’s championship door is brighter than ever.

Pironkova, Serena’s upcoming rival, has a calm style. The Bulgarian tennis player is the protagonist of this year’s biggest special story. Retiring from 2017 to give birth and take care of a baby, Pironkova just returned a racket a few months ago.

Pironkova was specially qualified to attend thanks to the law of maternity

But in the 2020 US Open – Pironkova’s first tournament in three years, the one-child mother created a series of surprises for the first time to reach the quarter-finals of the hard-court Grand Slam. Pironkova’s list of defeated generals even has such famous seeds as Garbine Muguruza or Donna Vekic.

The other mother present in the quarterfinals is Victoria Azarenka. The former number one in the world will face the number 16, Elise Mertens, in the match at 6 is on September 10, Hanoi time. Azarenka has just lost a set since the start of the tournament, while Mertens has just eliminated Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the fourth round.