Minella, Mitu keep WTA strong mom's momentum going

The 2018 season has been a banner year for strong women on the WTA tour, with a number of new moms returning to competition and enjoying great success.

At Wimbledon, there was Serena Williams, back on tour after giving birth in September, beating 29-year-old mom Evgeniya Rodina on her way to the final. Rodina, mom to a five-year-old girl, was playing in her first Grand Slam fourth round.

The latest news of moms defying the odds came this weekend when Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella reached the Gstaad final just nine months after giving birth.

The 32-year-old played Wimbledon last year while four months pregnant, though she lost in the first round. Last week, she beat talented Czech Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals before falling to top seed Alize Cornet, 6-4, 7-6 (6). It marked her first career WTA final.

The same day in Bucharest, 26-year-old Andreea Mitu won the doubles title with Irina-Camelia Begu. Mitu took a full year off to have her son, Adam, and returned in May, winning an ITF $15,000 singles and doubles title before taking home the trophy in Bucharest.

It's her third career doubles WTA title. Mitu and Minella may have been inspired by Williams and even Victoria Azarenka, who has shown signs of her Grand Slam-winning form since coming back from having her son, Leo, and enduring a custody battle.

Just call 2018 the year of the moms.