Lewis Inspired by Tennis Moms at Flushing Meadows

(Reuters) – Stacy Lewis begins her quest for a second victory at the LPGA Tour’s ANA Inspiration on Thursday and the former world number one says she has drawn inspiration from the performances of tennis mothers at the U.S. Open Grand Slam in New York.

The women’s singles draw at Flushing Meadows featured nine mothers, with two of them – Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka – advancing to the semifinals.

Lewis, who won the Scottish Open last month for her first title since becoming a mother in 2018, said she knew exactly how difficult it was to return to elite sport.

“I’ve been watching tennis the last few days and I’ve been thinking, they finish at 8, 9, 10, someone has to help get the baby to bed on time,” she said.

“You also know the challenges that they have to face, and I think it was Azarenka, she was so excited to win her match the other night, because you understand.

“You understand what it takes, the work you’ve put in to get to this point again. So it definitely gives you motivation to see other women doing it.”

The 35-year-old American has fond memories of Mission Hills Country Club, where she won the ANA Inspiration, one of the five major tournaments on the women’s tour, in 2011.

“I’ve been really pleased with how my golf swing has gone … over the last month,” said Lewis, who has two top-10 finishes in his last four starts.

“I need to improve my putting a lot this week. It’s a bit hit and miss. If I can putt well this week, I feel like I’ll have a chance on Sunday.”

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bangalore; Editing by Peter Rutherford)