LONDON -- Serena Williams' return to tennis has been cut short after her doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw from the HSBC Championships with a knee injury.
Williams and Mboko won their first doubles match in straight sets at the Queen's Club on Tuesday, but Mboko injured her left knee when she slipped and landed awkwardly during her singles clash against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old Canadian was forced to withdraw against Pliskova and has now been ruled out of the doubles competition, tournament organizers confirmed Thursday morning.
The pair was set to play Canadian Leylah Fernandez and German Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Fernandez and Siegemund will advance to the next round by walkover.
Tuesday's match was Williams' first competitive outing since the 2022 US Open.
Williams, 44, confirmed that she will play at next week's Berlin Open, but her playing future beyond that, including a potential return to Wimbledon, remains unclear.
After Tuesday's match, Williams insisted she was taking things "a day at a time" but said she enjoyed the winning return to competitive action.
"I don't know. I had nothing better to do. I got tired of sitting at home. My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not?" Williams said on court. "I never got to play here; it was always just the men. It feels really special to play somewhere so iconic."
