Serena Williams’ London comeback may have ended prematurely Wednesday when doubles partner Victoria Mboko sustained a knee injury while playing singles at the HSBC Championships.
Mboko grabbed at her left knee after slipping on the grass at the Queen’s Club and was forced to retire. The 19-year-old Canadian was trailing 6-2, 3-4 to Karolina Pliskova, who advanced to the quarterfinals.
“She was improving as the match was going, so it would have been a nice match, but I wish her only the best,” Pliskova said. “Of course, this is not the way I want to win, so hopefully she’s going to be fine for Wimbledon.”
Playing for the first time in nearly four years, the 44-year-old Williams paired with Mboko to win their first doubles match on Tuesday with a 7-6 (2), 6-2 result against third-seeded Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe.
Williams and Mboko are scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals on Thursday night.
Mboko, ranked No. 9 in the world, was the No. 3 seed in the singles draw. It was the first retirement of her career at the WTA Tour level.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner in singles, had not played professionally since the 2022 U.S. Open.
–Field Level Media
