Serena Williams’ London comeback at the HSBC Championships has been prematurely curtailed after her doubles partner Victoria Mboko was forced to withdraw with a left knee injury.
It looked unlikely Williams, 44, and Mboko, 19, would play Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund on Thursday evening as scheduled when Mboko retired from her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday after slipping in the second set.