Victoria Mboko’s singles campaign at the HSBC Championships has ended in agony, and there is a chance that it could also cut short Serena Williams long-awaited return.
Mboko, who was seeded third in the draw, suffered a slip behind the baseline when down 2-6, 4-3 against former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova. As the Canadian slipped, her legs went in opposite directions, and it looked as if she hyperextended the region around her knee. In the immediate aftermath of the fall, she stayed on the ground and waited for assistance.
Speaking to the trainer, Mboko was heard saying that she felt she had ‘no stability’ on her leg. However, she was able to leave the court unaided but was seen slightly limping. She will now undergo a medical assessment to establish what damage, if any, has been caused.
“It’s such a shame I think we played quite a good game,” Pliskova said of Mboko’s retirement.
“I think she was improving as the match was going, so it would have been a nice match but I wish her all the best.
“Of course, this is not how we want to win. Hopefully she’s going to be fine for Wimbledon.”
The 19-year-old is now a serious doubt for the doubles draw, which she is playing in alongside her partner Williams. On Tuesday, the duo won their opening match in straight sets against third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe. The win marked Williams’ first competitive match on the Tour since the 2022 US Open.
Should Mboko not be able to continue in London this week, it has been revealed what Williams’ next plan is. The 44-year-old will head to Germany, where she will play doubles at the Berlin Open alongside Karolina Muchova. The upcoming partnership was first confirmed by The Times.
As for Pliskova, she continues to relish her return to form after suffering her own on-court injury blow that ended up sidelining her for weeks. The Czech hurt her left ankle three points into her match at the 2024 US Open and then had to undergo two surgeries to help address the problem. She is currently ranked 106th after starting the season outside the top 400.
“I’m really happy to be back playing and healthy,” she said.
“It was a long journey, but finally I’m feeling 100 percent and you can see on the court I’m moving quite confidently and playing good games.
“I’m really happy to be back, especially here in England. I have had some good success here at tournaments. I won a couple of them and was a finalist at Wimbledon, so I cannot wait to be back.”
Pliskova will next play either Donna Vekic or Marie Bouzkova.
