London, June 11 -- Tennis legend Serena Williams' doubles comeback at Queen's Club came to an abrupt end on Thursday after her partner, Victoria Mboko, withdrew from their quarter-final match due to a left knee injury.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, now 44, marked her long-awaited return to competitive tennis on Tuesday, stepping back onto the court 1,375 days after her last professional match, as per Olympics.com.

Williams and Mboko made an immediate impact, stunning third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 in their opening-round encounter.

However, their promising run was cut short before the quarter-finals could be played, with Mboko's injury forcing the pair to withdraw from the tournament. ...