Serena Williams made a profitable begin to her aggressive tennis comeback within the doubles occasion at Queen’s, claiming her first skilled victory in almost 4 years.
The 44-year-old – making her first look for the reason that 2022 US Open – partnered Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko to a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 victory over third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe.
Williams was given a standing ovation as she walked onto the grass court docket on the Andy Murray Enviornment, her debut on the Queen’s Membership, with the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion placing in a formidable show.
The unseeded pair will now face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund, who defeated Alexandra Panova and Demi Schuurs 6-2 2-6 11-9, within the quarter-finals.
“I had so much fun playing with Vicky [Mboko],” Williams mentioned on court docket. “She actually was in a position to maintain up the staff and play massive on the massive factors – I may actually depend on her.
“We’ve never played together, but it just felt so natural playing with her so it was a lot of fun.”
Williams paid credit score to enjoying companion Victoria Mboko after their victory
Williams confirmed she nonetheless has loads of her trademark energy throughout a good first set, hitting service winners of as much as 120 mph, as Melichar-Martinez Routliffe recovered from being damaged early to drive the tie break.
Mboko and Williams solely wanted one in every of their 4 set factors on supply to shut out the opening set earlier than claiming a double break within the second, with the American nice firing two aces throughout a match-winning maintain to finish her profitable return in type.
On why she determined to make her comeback at Queen’s, Williams joked: “I had nothing better to do – I got tired of sitting at home! My kids are out of school for the summer so why not?!
“I by no means bought to play right here [during her singles career], it was all the time simply the lads, nevertheless it feels so particular to play at some place so iconic and the place I noticed so a lot of my mates win.”
Williams had a doubles companion 25 years her junior
Willams mentioned forward of that includes at Queen’s she had “nothing to prove” in her aggressive comeback, having beforehand mentioned she was “evolving” away from tennis relatively than outright retiring in 2022.
The 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion will even compete in doubles on the Berlin Open in Germany subsequent week, though has but to substantiate whether or not she’s going to function at Wimbledon from June 29.
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