Pironkova won her first WTA title at the 2014 Apia International, defeating three top-10 ranked players in a row. She defeated then world No. 2, Agnieszka Radwańska, in the fourth round of the 2016 French Open, reaching her first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam tournament other than Wimbledon. Following an injury in 2017, she announced a sabbatical from the sport - which was later extended to accommodate her maternity leave. Playing at her first professional tournament in over three years, Pironkova made a successful return at the 2020 US Open; she made it all the way to the quarterfinals, her first at a Grand Slam since 2016.