Injured Mboko withdraws from Queen's doubles with Serena Williams

Victoria Mboko and Serena Williams have withdrawn from the HSBC Championships doubles draw after Mboko sustained a left knee injury during her second-round singles match on Wednesday.

The wild cards opened their campaign with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory over No. 3 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe on Tuesday in Williams' first professional match since the 2022 US Open. But less than 24 hours later, Mboko's tournament came to an abrupt end when she slipped on the grass while trailing Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 3-4 in her second-round singles match and was forced to retire.

Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund advance to the semifinals via walkover, where they will face either No. 2 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani or Iva Jovic and McCartney Kessler.

Williams, 44, will continue her comeback in Berlin next week. Despite the unfortunate end to her time at Queen's, the 23-time major champion posted about her "special" week on social media, along with her well wishes for Mboko.

"Some moments mean more than trophies. ❤️ @olympiaohanian," Williams wrote.

"What a fun and memorable week at @hsbcchampionships. Thank you to everyone who made it so special. Wishing you a speedy recovery, @vickymboko. Can't wait to see you back on court."