Serena Williams – back like she never left.
After four years, Serena Williams made her return to the WTA Tour at this year’s HSBC Championships alongside Canadian teen Victoria Mboko in doubles – and the duo did not disappoint, taking down third-seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first round on Tuesday.
The Canadian-American team were nearly flawless on their delivery, winning 78 per cent of their first-serve points but the pair was broken on the lone break point they faced in the match.
Mboko and Williams had the dream start to their highly-anticipated partnership. In the second game, the Canadian pounced on a few Routliffe serves to force sudden-death deuce, where the Kiwi succumbed to the pressure with a double fault. Fans were then eager to see Williams’ first service game and the former world No. 1 was showed no signs of rust, unleashing an unreturned serve at 30-all before the pair held to lead 3-0.
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However, Williams’ next turn on serve was much different. At 4-2, 30-40, the 23-time major champion couldn’t get her second delivery in play as Mboko and Williams conceded serve. Melichar-Martinez and Routliffe then backed up the break to level the set at 4-4.
Mboko and Williams put the pressure on their opponents twice to serve to extend the opener, but Melichar-Martinez and Routliffe held from 5-6, love-30, to force a tiebreaker.
The Canadian-American team were perfect through the first four rallies and later had four set points at 6-2. Mboko’s first delivery went unreturned as she and Williams took a one-set lead over the No. 3 seeds.
Mboko and Williams had just as strong of a start to the second, converting on break point after a lengthy video review at 1-1, 30-40. A vintage Williams service game consolidated the break to bring the duo’s advantage to 3-1.
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Soon, Williams’ dream of a winning return was becoming more of a reality. At 2-4, 40-all, Mboko’s backhand return painted the baseline and allowed Williams to serve for the match at 5-2. The seven-time Wimbledon champion fired back-to-back aces at 15-all to grasp match point and, in Williams fashion, she powered an unreturned serve to keep her and Mboko’s run going at the Queen’s Club.
Mboko and Williams’ next match comes against Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez and German Laura Siegemund on Thursday.
Feature Photo: WTA
