Unseeded Serena Williams and Czechia’s Karolina Muchova came up short in their opening-round doubles match at the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open.
Williams, playing in her second tournament since announcing her comeback, and Muchova fell 6-4, 6-4 to New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos.
Muchova fared better in singles play as the No. 7 seed breezed past China’s Shuai Zhang 6-1, 6-3.
Sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine led Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 4-1 when Kalinskaya retired. Czech No. 8 seed Linda Noskova handled Mexico’s Renata Zarazua 6-1, 6-4.
Madison Keys, France’s Diane Parry, Spain’s Paula Badosa, Czechia’s Katerina Siniakova and Germany’s Eva Lys also claimed first-round wins in straight sets.
