Serena Williams finally made her much-awaited return to the court in the HSBC Championships on Tuesday. On her side was 19-year-old Victoria Mboko as the pair kicked off their doubles campaign on the grass courts of London. The two took on the third-seeded pair of Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez. The crowd present at the Andy Murray Arena was hyped up to see Serena back in action and made their presence felt as soon as she made her way to the court.

The crowd erupted in cheers upon seeing Serena and Mboko enter the arena. It was pretty much a sold-out crowd at the estimated 9,000-seater arena, and they made it clear whose side they were on even before the match began. Both of Serena’s daughters, Olympia and Adira, were also in attendance to watch their mother return to the sport she has dedicated her life to.

The duo of Serena and Mboko had a strong start as they held their serve and got an important break over their opponents to race to a 3-0 lead. It was Serena’s turn to serve in the fifth game, and just like in the past, she delivered once again. Almost all of the American’s serves racked up speeds of over 100 mph, and she held it comfortably.

However, trouble arrived when it was her turn to serve again with the pair leading 4-2. They were down a break point when Serena committed a double-fault, handing the game to Routliffe and Martinez. The latter pair soon leveled up the set, and it would eventually be dragged into a tiebreaker. The set also saw Serena clock a serving speed of 120 mph (193 kmph) during the 11th game.

She was in her rhythm and put in some stronger serves in the breaker as both she and Mboko dominated. They clinched the breaker 7-2 to win the first 7-6 and take a vital lead in the match.

While the first set proved to be quite an intense battle between the two pairs, the second one was completely different. Unlike the first set, where Serena and Mboko lost their rhythm in between, they didn’t leave any margin for error in the second set.

Williams and Mboko dominate in the second set

The set was level at 1-1 when Serena and Mboko clinched a crucial break to take an early lead once again. Serena looked even more composed with her serve during the second set and held it comfortably.

Soon after, they would gain a second break of the set over Routliffe and Martinez to take a decisive 5-2 lead. The match would be settled in straight sets as Serena was strong with her serve once again and even fired a thunderous ace. The pair making their debut at the HSBC Championships recorded a rather one-sided 7-6, 6-2 victory in an hour and 48 minutes.

With the way that Serena played, it didn’t even look like she had stayed away from the sport for almost four years. She racked up multiple aces, solid winners, and was also dominant close to the net.

Mboko also assisted the 44-year-old very well, and even though the spotlight wasn’t on her, she played quite a tidy game and ensured that Serena’s first-ever campaign at the Queen’s Club began on a convincing note. It remains to be seen which pair the two will come up against in the second round.