hanebado!

I guess NotNozomi married that blonde (likely Connie's mom) shown in the magazine.

Her "best mom" is really showing it's like she ditched Ayano for the "superior" Connie.

xyph : isn't the girl in the magazine connie (maybe she had short hair back then)?
theory: notnozomi abandoned connie too at some point and is getting revenge at ayanon because she's coming back to her own daughter.

That kiss in the magazine made me think they're a couple but that makes more sense then.

mytheory: notNozomi trained Connie to be top badminton player so Ayano will have a tough opponent to surpass.

Friend told me that they drastically changed the character's personalities so it's not a fully accurate adaptation.

Manga Ayano is more of a dork and more happy-go-luck while anime ver. is the serious & moody. Manga Connie is less mean etc.

yep, somebody told me that there are some differences in their character personalities from their manga counterparts so this isn't exactly a 100% perfect adaptation. :3
and good theory there, i guess her mother could be doing a very long setup to improve her daughter's skills.