Alexis Ohanian wears ‘Girl Dad’ mask as he and daughter Olympia support Serena Williams at US Open

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Anyone who has been watching this year’s US Open will be able to attest that the matches have been quite eerie at times, the stands virtually void of spectators amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The social distancing measures put in place at the Grand Slam tournament has provided participants with the rare opportunity to watch their fellow competitors battle it out on the hard courts in person, with their teams and families also allowed in the stands.

On Saturday 5 September, six-time US Open champion Serena Williams defeated fellow American Sloane Stephens in three sets, taking her to the final 16 of the competition.

She was watched by her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, in addition to their three-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.

The pair both wore masks during the match, Ohanian’s a dark blue shade with the slogan “Girl Dad” written across it.

Olympia, on the other hand, wore a mask with a floral unicorn design, her hair tied up in pink and yellow bobbles to match her mother’s red hair ties.

Several social media users expressed their appreciation for Ohanian’s “Girl Dad” mask, which was designed by shoe retailer Atoms, for which the technology entrepreneur is a board member.

“Face mask game on point!” one person commented on Instagram, in response to a video of Ohanian and Olympia at the match.

“Alexis Ohanian, wearing the ‘Girl Dad’ mask,” a Twitter user said, adding a hand-clapping emoji at the end of the tweet.

Earlier this week, Ohanian wore a mask that read “Vote Nov 3” while watching another match at the US Open, as a reminder of the 2020 US presidential election, which is due to take place on Tuesday 3 November.

In January, following the death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant, ESPN anchor Elle Duncan recollected meeting the professional basketball player two years prior, when he spoke about how raising daughters is “the best”.

“I would have five more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad,” Bryant reportedly told Duncan, who was pregnant with a baby girl at the time.

Following the anchor’s emotional account of speaking to Bryant about being a parent to girls, the hashtag “#girldad” began trending on social media, prompting people to share personal stories about the bond shared between fathers and daughters.

“I’m so moved by the outpouring of support behind my story about Kobe,” Duncan said in response to the hashtag trending.