Serena Williams’ Queen’s run over as injured Victoria Mboko withdraws

Serena Williams’ doubles campaign at Queen’s was cut short after her playing partner Victoria Mboko withdrew with a left knee injury.

The 44-year-old, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, returned to tennis on Tuesday after being away from the sport for almost four years.

The pair were scheduled to play in the quarter-finals on Thursday but 19-year-old Mboko suffered a bad fall in her singles match on Wednesday, forcing her to withdraw from the match.

Trailing 6-2 3-4 against Carolina Pliskova, the young Canadian screamed in pain as she fell to the ground holding her knee and limped off the field in tears.

This means compatriot Leylah Fernandez and Germany’s Laura Siegemund, who are scheduled to meet in doubles on Thursday evening, advance to the semi-finals.

Williams bounced back with a winning performance on Tuesday, teaming with Mboko to win 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 to edge out third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.

Playing 1,375 days after her last competitive match, Williams, one of the greatest players of all time, didn’t look out of place as she rediscovered her powerful serve and ground strokes.

The extent of Mboko’s injury is yet to be confirmed but there are concerns the world number nine could miss Wimbledon, which starts on June 29.