Serena Williams’ comeback tournament at Eastbourne is over after doubles partner Ons Jabeur withdrew with a knee injury.
The duo was set to face Magda Linette and Aleksandra Krunic in the semifinals, but those two have now advanced to the final following Jabeur’s withdrawal.
The tournament was Williams’ first action in nearly a year. Her most recent match before Eastbourne was in the first round at Wimbledon in 2021, where she suffered a hamstring injury. She then withdrew from the US Open and Australian Open, citing her health, and was absent from the French Open.
But Williams, 40, is back in the draw for Wimbledon this time around as she looks to secure her 24th singles Grand Slam title.
Williams and Jabeur had impressed at Eastbourne in their partnership, dubbed “OnsRena,” as they defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova 2-6, 6-3, 13-11 in the first round before dispatching Shuko Aoyama and Hao-Ching Chan in the second round 6-2, 6-4.
The duo will hope to make a charge for the women’s title at Wimbledon, with the tournament starting Monday.
Williams, who has won seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon, has not played a singles match since June last year.
She injured her ankle in her SW19 opener on Centre Court, which led to doubts that she would return to the tour.
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