NEW YORK — It’s never been a particular career goal of Serena Williams to be alongside Molla
Bjorsted Mallory in the U.S. Open record book, but after 20 years and 106 victories she is on the cusp
of doing just that.
Mallory was a Norwegian tennis legend who played in a long white skirt and hammered a shot people
called a forehand drive that was the most lethal weapon of her era. She won the last of her eight Open
singles titles in 1926, at age 42. If Williams — soon to be 39 — can keep her current form and manage
her nerves and win two more matches in Flushing Meadows, she will be right behind Mallory as the
second oldest singles champion, male or female, in the 140-year history of the U.S. championships.
One day after dispatching Tsvetana Pironkova, mother of Alexander, in the quarters, Williams will be
across the net from the resurgent Victoria Azarenka, mother of Leo.
The winner of Mother vs. Mother will face the winner of Thursday night’s first semifinal between No. 9
Naomi Osaka and No. 41 Jennifer Brady in Saturday’s championship match.
“I love playing against Serena,” Azarenka said. “We always played on big stages. It was a lot of big
fights. She’s one of the players who push me to the limit, who makes me better. I’m excited for that. It’s
been a while since we played. I think the last time was, what is it, Indian Wells. I think we both were not
really playing well at that time. I think the semifinal of a Grand Slam is a different stage. It’s going to be a
different fight. I’m looking forward to it.”
A 31-year-old Floridian by way of Belarus, Azarenka advanced with a 6-1, 6-0 dismembering of No.
18 Elise Mertens of Belgium, her 10th consecutive victory in the Queens-style bubble. She won the
Open tuneup tournament, the Western & Southern Open, late last month, and has now won five matches
here, moving as well as she ever has, playing with clinical efficiency, and wrecking people with her return
game.
Williams is in her own orbit when it comes to service; her 64 aces are more than double the nearest
competitor. Azarenka can’t come close to matching that, but has put 84 percent of her returns in play,
and broken serve more times (28 out of 44, 64 percent) than any other player here. It’s an excellent skill
to have against Williams, who blasted 20 aces in her quarterfinal against Pironkova.
Azarenka, a former No. 1, won her two Grand Slam titles in Australia in 2012 and 2013, which only
seems like eons ago. She was twice the runner-up at the Open to Williams, who has beaten her in 18 of
their 22 meetings. This is Azarenka’s first major semifinal since the 2013 Open, after which her form fell
off, injuries dropping her out of the top 30 by the end of 2014. She worked her way back, then gave
birth to Leo in December 2016 and wound up in a bitter custody battle with his father. Her days among
the elite seemed behind her, but Azarenka fought her way back into the top 50 early last year, and has
been on a steady climb since.
Now she gets to face her sport’s most dominant champion, a 23-time major winner who is desperately
seeking No. 24, which would tie her with Margaret Court on the all-time career singles list. Azarenka is
playing with almost palpable joy, a state of mind that did not come easily.
“It took me a long road to come here with a lot of struggles, a lot of understanding, forcing me to find this
route, this path, if you can say that,” Azarenka said. “But I’m here and I’m happy.”
She talked about a theme Williams has echoed often at this tournament – how motherhood has enriched
her perspective, provided not just the treasure of a young life, but the ability to see life beyond the
rectangle that demarcates her work place. The mothers both sound very ready. Molla Mallory may have
some company soon.
“I’ve just got to be a little bit better, really, and just expect people to go lights out and just be ready for
lights out,” Williams said.
