Serena Williams came through a dramatic women's doubles contest alongside Tunisia's Ons Jabeur which marked the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion's first match for almost a year.

The pair defeated Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 2-6, 6-3, 13-11 at the WTA Eastbourne International on Tuesday.

"It was so fun to play with Ons," Williams said in an interview on the court. "It was great. We had a lot of fun and our opponents played amazing. We were happy to stay in there."

Jabeur, the world No 3, admitted afterwards that she was nervous at the prospect of playing with Williams. "I am honoured that Serena picked me, to be honest with you. I could not believe it. I was having dinner and it was crazy. It was so much fun. I was a little bit nervous before playing with such a legend. But she made me really... I mean, good on the court. And, even when I made mistakes, she kept encouraging me. So thank you for that."

The win means Williams will have at least one more competitive match before playing singles at Wimbledon as a wild-card entry. Main-draw play at the All England Club starts Monday.

(With input from AP)