Serena Williams made a winning comeback in doubles at Queen’s Club on Tuesday, teaming with Victoria Mboko to defeat Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 7-6 (2), 6-2 and earn a doubles second-round meeting with Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund.
LONDON — Serena Williams returned to competition on Tuesday with the kind of moment fans at The Queen’s Club rarely get to see twice. When the 44-year-old took the court for her first match in over four years, the roar followed her as Victoria Mboko helped steer the night.
Williams and Mboko. 19. played together for the first time in their partnership and still looked comfortable from the first service game to the final point. They beat New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and the United States’ Nicole Melichar-Martinez 7-6 (2). 6-2 in the doubles first round at the HSBC Championships grass-court tennis tournament.
The win came with a clean finish in the second set. but it was the opening one that set the tone. Williams served for the match and then delivered an ace to reach match point. The crowd’s response wasn’t just for a legend returning—it was for the way she and Mboko found momentum together. especially in the biggest moments.
Mboko, already ranked in the top 10 at No. 9, made her impression immediately on the biggest stage. Standing alongside Williams in an on-court interview, she called it an honour.
“I feel very honoured to play with Serena,” Mboko said. “I had a lot of fun, if anything. We really did that out there. I’m so happy to be playing beside you. And we’re going for more.”
Williams matched the warmth with her own assessment of what Mboko brought. She said the teenager “held up the team and really play big on the big points,” adding that she was able to rely on her partner. “We’ve never played together, but it just felt so natural playing with her,” Williams said.
Still, in her post-match news conference, Williams kept expectations grounded. After the applause, she gave herself a modest review.
“A C-minus,” Williams said. “With all the elements, considering coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface. … Grass, four years. Overall, I think it was decent.”
Given the opposition, “decent” sounded like understatement. Routliffe is a two-time U.S. Open champion in doubles with Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski. and Melichar-Martinez has reached the doubles final at both Flushing Meadows and Wimbledon. Routliffe and Melichar-Martinez were seeded third at Queen’s Club.
Mboko, for her part, noticed the movement immediately. “I thought she was moving great. ” Mboko said. describing a particular point where Williams was on the run and still produced a backhand. “There was that one shot you hit. remember. you were on the run. on the backhand. and I was like. ‘Oh. my gosh. she’s got it.’”.
The next step is another high-profile pairing. Williams and Mboko will face Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., and Germany’s Laura Siegemund. Siegemund advanced to the doubles second round with a 6-2, 2-6, 11-9 win over Russia’s Alexandra Panova and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands.
Fernandez knows doubles pressure. She teamed with Venus Williams last year and the pair reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
This tournament has also been testing Fernandez in singles. Earlier on Tuesday, she was eliminated from singles competition with a 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 loss to Britain’s Katie Boulter. Fernandez had been up a set and tied 3-3 in the second when the match was suspended Monday night due to darkness. When play resumed. Boulter shook it off to win the second set. and though Fernandez fought back from a break down in the third. her service game faltered again with the set tied 5-5. Boulter then served out for the win.
Boulter will next face Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian.
The story of how Boulter and Fernandez have met before adds extra texture to their Queen’s Club week. It was the first meeting between the players in a WTA Tour main draw. Boulter defeated Fernandez in qualifying at the 2018 Canadian Open in Montreal. and Fernandez returned the favour in qualifying at the 2023 Citi Open in Washington.
Serena Williams Victoria Mboko Queen's Club HSBC Championships doubles Erin Routliffe Nicole Melichar-Martinez Leylah Fernandez Laura Siegemund Katie Boulter
Wait Serena is playing doubles again?? About time.
7-6 (2) then 6-2… so she totally dominated in the second set right? Also Victoria Mboko is ranked top 10 already?? Sounds like Serena just lucked into a good partner.
Queen’s Club in London and they said she hadn’t played in over four years, but isn’t she still kinda active in exhibition stuff? Either way, crowd going nuts for an ace is kinda wild. I’m confused how she “returned” but still looks like she never left.
I swear the “roar followed her” part is always the same for Serena no matter what. Doubles feels random though like why not singles? Plus Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund next round… that sounds like a college team combo, not a serious matchup. Anyway proud of her, even if I don’t really get how the partnership works in doubles.