Serena Williams is playing high-level tennis as she aims for a title in her comeback tournament. The former top-ranked player kept her momentum going on the Hologic WTA Tour, reaching the doubles semifinals in partnership with Ons Jabeur. The duo left little to chance, overwhelming Shuko Aoyama and Chan Hao-ching with a 6-2, 6-4 victory in the Rothesay International quarterfinals.
Serena Williams is playing good tennis to win a title in her comeback event. Former World no.1 Serena Williams kept her return to the Hologic WTA Tour rolling, as she moved into the semifinals of the women’s doubles by partnering with Ons Jabeur. Serena Williams and Ons Jabeur dominated from the start to earn a 6-2, 6-4 quarterfinal win over Shuko Aoyama and Chan Hao-ching in the Rothesay International doubles draw.
Returning to competition for the first time since an injury sidelined her at the 2021 Wimbledon, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has formed a potent alliance with world number three Ons Jabeur. As she prepares for next week's singles event at Wimbledon, the 40-year-old veteran is successfully sharpening her skills and timing.
The crowd saw a side of Serena they've missed, especially when she executed a couple of brilliant toes-off pick-up shots early in the first set. The fans erupted when she fired three consecutive aces to stave off break points in the second game of the second set. The 14-time Grand Slam doubles specialist was in peak serving form, responding to five break points with four aces and one untouchable serve.
Compared to Tuesday's match, where they had to rely on a tiebreaker to progress, Serena looked far more composed and self-assured. The pair came out swinging against Aoyama and Chan, wrapping up the opening set in just 25 minutes without giving their opponents a single break point opportunity.
The second set proved more challenging for Serena and Jabeur, as Aoyama and Chan managed to create nine break point opportunities, though they failed to convert any. Serena personally shut down four of those chances with her signature power serves. The American closed out the match in a total of 65 minutes, marking a comprehensive victory. The chemistry between Serena and Jabeur has noticeably improved, with Jabeur benefiting from the experience of playing alongside a master of the serve.
In the semifinals, Serena and Jabeur will face Aleksandra Krunic and Magda Linette. The unseeded pair caused a major upset in their quarterfinal, needing only 57 minutes to knock out the second seeds, Gabriela Dabrowski and Giuliana Olmos, with a 6-1, 6-3 scoreline.
Over in the singles draw, defending champion Jelena Ostapenko has advanced to the quarterfinals after Madison Keys was forced to retire due to an abdominal injury. Ostapenko had taken the first set 6-3 before Keys had to withdraw. Joining her in the final eight are Camila Giorgi, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova.