Serena Williams and Victoria Mboko have been knocked out of the Queen’s Championship doubles competition after Mboko was forced to retire because of a left knee injury.
Mboko suffered the injury during her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday. In the second set, with Mboko leading 4-3 and trying to break Pliskova’s serve, she slipped on the grass behind the baseline while changing direction to reach a shot.
The 19-year-old immediately grabbed her left knee and appeared to be in significant pain. After receiving treatment from a physiotherapist, Mboko said there was “no stability” in her knee. Although she was able to walk off the court on her own, she was visibly upset and retired from the match while trailing 6-2, 3-4.
As a result, their opponents, Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund, were awarded the victory and have advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Posting on her Instagram account, Williams wrote, “What a fun and memorable week at the HSBC Championships. Thank you to everyone who made it so special.
“Vicky Mboko, you’re an incredible talent, and you’ll be back out there in no time.
“Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
Williams is set to return to action next week at the Berlin Open. The 23-time Grand Slam champion will compete in the doubles draw alongside world No. 10 Karolina Muchova as she continues her preparation for the grass-court season.
Williams and Muchova will be teaming up for the first time on the WTA Tour. The two have only faced each other once in singles competition, with their lone meeting coming in the third round of the 2019 US Open.
On that occasion, Williams produced a dominant performance to defeat Muchova 6-3, 6-2 on her way to reaching the final.
