Serena Williams recently returned to action by playing the doubles tournament in Eastbourne International. She paired with Ons Jabeur and won the first match on Tuesday to advance into the quarterfinal. In the quarterfinal, the duo met Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching.
During the first match, Serena looked a little stiff as it had been a long time since she played a professional match. Moreover, it was the first time she was playing her Tunisian partner. However, Serena looked visibly different in the quarterfinal.
Into the semifinals! 🌱@SerenaWilliams and @Ons_Jabeur keep the momentum going in Eastbourne, defeating Aoyama and Chan 6-2, 6-4 to reach the last four. #RothesayInternational
— TENNIS (@Tennis) June 22, 2022
That is probably why the duo beat their opponent in straight sets to advance to the semifinal. Serena and Jabeur won the match with a score of 6-2, 6-4. It looked like Serena showed signs of her old self and Jabeur played incredibly well.
#Onsrena will see you at the semi-finals!
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 23, 2022
The two will now face Poland’s Magda Linette and Russia’s Aleksandra Krunić in the semifinal. Their opponent is seeded second in the tournament and it will definitely be a tough fight for them. However, the two have played phenomenally till now and have the potential to even win the tournament.
Serena Williams showers praise on Ons Jabeur after quarterfinal win
If there is one thing no one can deny about the match, it’s the amazing performance from Jabeur. The world number three was in top form and even Serena was awestruck by her game. Serena admitted in the post-match interview that she could hold up only because of Jabeur.
During the interview, Serena said, “Ons really held me up today. She was really playing so good. I was just looking at her like wow this is great!” Jabeur is also enjoying her time with Serena and has not backed away from expressing it on multiple occasions.
It’s official ✍️
Presenting: 𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗔@serenawilliams x @Ons_Jabeur pic.twitter.com/6j7Cl4aSWQ
— wta (@WTA) June 22, 2022
And a great teammate! @Ons_Jabeur
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 23, 2022
Serena is using this tournament as a warm-up for Wimbledon. She did not go for the singles tournament as it would have been very intense for her at this stage. Moreover, these wins will help her in boosting her confidence ahead of Wimbledon.