Serena Williams has to be praying that her luck will change after losing a WTA doubles match on Tuesday after her earlier loss in what was billed as a grass-court comeback for the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion.

 The 44-year-old playing alongside Czech Karolina Muchova, lost an opening match on Tuesday on the WTA Berlin grass as opponents Giliaana Olmos and Kiwi Erin Routliffe advanced 6-4, 6-4.

The 91-minute loss was a repeat of last week at Queen’s club, London, when Williams and Canadian Victoria Mboko were eliminated by a side also featuring Routliffe.

The pain of defeat might have been somewhat cushioned by news from Wimbledon that Williams and her elder sister Venus have been granted a wild card in doubles for the Championships starting June 29.

Serena last played a match in 2022 at the US Open and then dropped from the scene as she pursued her millionaire celebrity life while raising two daughters.

She and the teenaged Mboko won their opening match last week but were derailed as the Canadian withdrew a day later with injury.

Tommy Paul managed 15 aces in a relatively pedestrian start on the summer grass, with the 2024 Queen’s club champion outlasting US compatriot Zachery Svajda 7-5, 6-3 on Monday.

With the Wimbledon start less than a fortnight away, the eighth seeded winner knows he will have to lift his game this week as the grass campaign heats up fast.

Paul won the title two years ago but missed last year’s edition through injury.

Missing here is defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who has not played a match since April and will not return until at least the upcoming hardcourt campaign after healing a wrist injury.

Spain’s Rafael Jodar, tipped as an up-and-comer, made a Queen’s withdrawal, officials confirmed.

With local west London crowds still hungover with excitement after the weekend WTA finals appearance of national No. 1 Emma Raducanu, it may take some doing for a relatively weak ATP field to spark huge interest .

The 500 series draw is headed by Alex de Minaur with Czech Jiri Lehecka second.

Paul, ranked 28th and winner of one title from three finals this season, ws able to advance over Svajda with a break in each set as he got used to the new surface.

“The first match on grass is always a little difficult,” Paul said after sending over a winner to clinch victory on his first match point.

“Zachery has been playing some great tennis, I’ve practised with him a few times but it’s always different playing someone for the first time.”

The former champion sparked some crowd enthusiasm as he praised the club as having “the best grass courts in the world.

“It just takes a week to get used to everything. There is always a little bit of slippage at the start of the (grass) season.

“These grass courts feel good under my feet.”

Paul will play his second-round match against Dutchman Botic Van De Zandschulp, who beat No. 223 Brit Harry Wendelken 6-4, 7-6 (5) in two hours.

Donna Vekic dominated the opening set but had to come from a double break down in the second to win the Queen’s club title on Sunday 6-0, 7-6 (6)  over Emma Raducanu.

The victory denied the British runner-up her first trophy since winning the US Open as a teenaged qualifier half a decade ago.

The one and three-quarter hour victory for the Croat lucky loser from qualifying round was  match of two halves, with Vekic unchallenged in the first but made to battle before finally lifting victory with a second-set tiebreaker.

Raducanu was playing in her third career final and won her only title at the 2021 US Open. Vekic won her first trophy since Monterrey three years ago.

The 29-year-old Vekic, ranked 76th, was thwarted on her first four match point chances late in the second set.

Raducanu, cheered by a home crowd in west London, took the second set into a tiebreaker as Vekic drove long as the fight went into a decider.

The Brit rallied from 4-1 down  before Vekic set up her fifth match point with a down-the-line winner and Raducanu’s shot landed wide a point later

The winner revealed that she had called upon her longtime coach from childhood to come join her team for the summer.

“Growing up and playing on the Tour, I was always jealous that the boys got to play on this grass,” she said of an event which only brought back the women’s event a year ago after a pause of half a century.  .

“But since last year, we have the opportunity also.”

Vekic explained her coaching situation: “The coach that I worked with from age 12 agreed to come back and help this grass season.

“Without him, I would have not know about grass – my favourite surface. And without you I would not be here with this trophy.”

Raducanu made vast improvements this week which should aid her Wimbledon buildup.

“What a week it’s been,” the finalist said. “It was incredible for me to make the fina, playing in my home city where I feel the buzz.

“The crowd support was incredible and helped me to fight back in the second set.

“Today was a really tough match, Donna played well from start to finish.”

Raducanu will travel north for next week’s WTA event in Nottingham.

Main photo:- Lucky loser qualifier Donna Vekic wins Queens Title – by Mark Greenwood/ISF Ltd