Erin Routliffe loses tough first round to tennis legend Serena Williams at Queens

Kiwi doubles player Erin Routliffe and her American partner suffered a decisive straight sets loss to one of the greatest players of all time Serena Williams in the first round of the HSBC Championships women's doubles at the Queens Club in London this morning.

Williams, 44, returning to professional tennis after a four-year layoff, and her Canadian partner Victoria Mboko, 19, upset the third seeds, Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 7-6 6-2.

All eyes in the tennis world were focused on the emotional match played in blustery conditions front of a crowd of more than 9000 which included Williams' husband and two young children, Olympia and Adira.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles winner, and her partner Mboko, one of the brightest young stars on tour, were the crowd favourites from the moment they took the court, although there were several welcome "go Kiwi" calls for Routliffe when she prepared to serve.

Speaking from London, Routliffe said the atmosphere at the match was massive but she heard the kiwi call in the crowd and sent a fist pump in their direction.

"I always get good support when I play in London. There are a lot of kiwis here and their support is nice to have," she said.

Routliffe says she has never played Williams or Mboko before, but knows Mboko well.

"I grew up in Canada playing junior tennis with her elder sister, Gracia, around Toronto. Victoria, was always at the junior tournaments with her," Routcliffe said.

She also enjoyed catching up today with Mboko's dad who became good friends with her dad as they followed their daughters on the tournament circuit. He remembered those junior days well and told Routliffe he always enjoyed having a beer with her father.

Williams and Mboko started strongly, holding serve in the first game of the match before grabbing a break in the second game and then romping out to a 4-1 lead in the first set. Routliffe and her partner then won three games in a row including a break of their opponents' serve. The set then went with serve and was decided in a tie-break which Williams and Mboko lead throughout and won convincingly 7-2.

Williams and Mboko dominated the second set which included breaking Routliffe and Melichar-Martinez twice, in the third and seventh game to win the set 6-2.

Both teams appeared relaxed between games, chatting to their respective partners and appearing to enjoy the occasion. Routliffe said she spoke to Williams at the net after the match and told her that it was an honour to play on the same court as her.

Williams replied "that's nice" and also said she liked my pick-up volleys. "It is something that I will hold forever," Routliffe says.

"I never thought I would have got the chance to play Serena. Obviously it was tough to meet them in the first round  and would have liked to get a win as I like playing on grass. But in years to come if it came down to playing on a back court and winning or playing Serena on centre court, it would be the Serena match I would remember."

Routliffe will play with Melichar-Martinez at the Wimbledon championships which start at the end of the month. She now flies Berlin for a tournament with another partner, but teams up again with Melichar-Martinez before Wimbledon.

"It was our first match together, but it felt quite natural. We both play aggressively, have big serves and like playing on grass," she says.

The day belonged to Williams, making her comeback after her retirement from professional tennis at the 2022 at the US Open after a 27-year career.

In her post-match interview, she said "it was so fun. I had fun playing with Victoria. She was able to hold up the team and play big on the big points. I could rely on her."

Referring to her return to tennis, she said "I had nothing better to do. I got tired of sitting at home. My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not?"