Williams' Queen's run over as injured Mboko withdraws

Victoria Mboko's withdrawal from Queen's has ended Serena Williams' doubles run in London and pushed Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund into the next round without playing.

Mboko pulled out after retiring from her singles match against Karolina Pliskova with a left knee injury while trailing 6-2, 3-4. The withdrawal meant she could not continue in the doubles event alongside Williams.

Williams and Mboko had opened their Queen's campaign with a win over Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe. But once Mboko withdrew, the draw could not be adjusted to add a replacement partner.

That left Fernandez and Siegemund to advance by walkover.

Mboko's injury ends the run

The injury is the latest setback in Mboko's grass-court schedule and comes just after she and Williams had looked set to build on their first-round victory.

BBC Sport first reported Mboko's withdrawal on Thursday morning. Later reports said the withdrawal effectively ended Williams' Queen's comeback run and that Williams is expected to continue in Berlin with Karolina Muchova.

What it means for Williams

Queen's had been part of Williams' return to professional tennis, making the loss of Mboko significant beyond the immediate draw change.

Her next steps remain under watch, including whether she takes up a Wimbledon wildcard. Mboko's recovery timeline has not been confirmed.

Queen's returned to the WTA calendar in 2025 after a long absence, and Mboko had been paired with Williams as a wildcard team in a draw that changed quickly once the injury became public.