Serena Williams returned to the court on Tuesday and partnered with Victoria Mboko to defeat the third-seeded pair of Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the first round of the HSBC Championships.
The 44-year-old American and her 19-year-old Canadian partner secured a 7-6, 6-2 victory on the grass courts at the Andy Murray Arena in London. The match lasted one hour and 48 minutes. Williams and Mboko took the first set in a tiebreaker after dropping serve once. They then dominated the second set with two breaks of serve and strong serving from Williams, who reached speeds of 120 mph. A sold-out crowd cheered the pair throughout the match. Williams’ daughters Olympia and Adira were also present for her first appearance in nearly four years. The victory marks a successful start to Williams’ doubles campaign at the Queen’s Club.
