Stepping onto the Andy Murray Arena for her first professional match since the 2022 US Open, the wildcard duo faced a tough opening test against the tournament’s third seeds, Nicole Melichar–Martinez and Erin Routliffe. They absolutely delivered, securing a 7-6 (2), 6-2 win to cruise straight into the quarter-finals.
The Canadian-American pairing was incredibly dominant on their delivery, winning an impressive 78 per cent of their first-serve points to completely dismantle their opponents. Serena wrapped up the final game in vintage style, firing off two aces and a service winner to seal the match as her husband Alexis Ohanian and daughters, Olympia and Adira, cheered from the stands.
Beaming during her on-court interview right after the match point, Serena couldn’t hide her excitement about the new partnership:
It was so fun. I had so much fun playing with Victoria. We’ve never played together but it just felt so natural playing with her.
However, the perfectionist in the 23-time Grand Slam champion came out later during her official post-match news conference, where she playfully graded her own performance on the day:
A C-minus… With all the elements, considering coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface. Grass, four years. Overall, I think it was decent.
For 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, the win capped off a surreal dream debut at Queen’s Club alongside her childhood idol. The duo will face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund next in the quarter-finals
What a phenomenal start to the grass-court season! Are you excited to see how far this partnership goes?
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