Tennis : Serena Williams wins alongside Ons Jabeur in comeback at Eastbourne
Serena Williams won her comeback match alongside Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the doubles event at Eastbourne International on June 22
Serena Williams USA during her first round doubles match comeback match which she won with partner Ons Jabeur TUN vs Maria Bouzkova CZE & Sara Sorribes ESPThe pair defeated Marie Bouzková of the Czech Republic and Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain 2-6 6-3 13-11 in the first round of the women's doubles event at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne, United Kingdom. Serena Williams returned to court for the first time since her shock first-round exit against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at 2021 Wimbledon due to a leg injury.
The 23-time Grand-Slam winner announced her return last week and got a wildcard into Eastbourne International, clearing the rumours of her retirement flowing over the prior few months.
World No. 3 Ons Jabeur had expressed her surprise at being picked by Serena Williams to the team. It did not take them long to grow in cohesion and confidence despite never playing together earlier.
After the victory, Serena Williams said, "It was so fun to play with Ons. We had fun. Our opponents played terrifically, and we were trying to stay in there."
When asked if she would be pairing up with the Tunisian at Wimbledon, Serena Williams added, "We are taking this show on the road! No, we're just taking it one day at a time.
Ons Jabeur and Serena Williams will return to court for a quarter-final clash against Shuko Aoyama of Japan and Chan Hao-ching of Taiwan on June 22.
Maria Sakkari was stunned by Anhelina Kalinina in round the first round
Anhelina Kalinina won against third-seed Maria Sakkari of Greece 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the opening round of Eastbourne International at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne, the United Kingdom, on June 21.
Anhelina Kalinina pulled off a reversal from a set down to grab her second victory against a Top 10 opponent for the season. Despite failing to convert points in the tenth game of the second set managed to extend the set and win the second-set tiebreak. The Ukrainian built on the momentum and sealed her victory with a 6-4 third-set win after two hours and eight minutes of play.
It was the first Head to Head meeting between Anhelina Kalinina and her Greek opponent. Anhelina Kalinina will play against Yulia Putintseva in the second round of Eastbourne International on June 22.