Serena Williams believes launching her comeback at Eastbourne could pay off at Wimbledon even though she succumbed to a second-round defeat yesterday.

The American lost in three sets to top seed Vera Zvonareva at the AEGON International, with the Russian gaining some revenge for her defeat to Williams in the Wimbledon final last year.

Returning to action after a foot injury caused by broken glass, and a blood clot which Williams says was life-threatening, the 29-year-old began with a victory over Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova on Tuesday.

But she came up just short against Zvonareva, losing 3-6 7-6 (7/5) 7-5.

Williams, who was playing her first tournament since last year's Wimbledon, said: "One or two points [different], I could have won the match. So it's not overly disappointing. It's just the fact I just kept missing short balls.

"It was a good two matches for me. I couldn't be happier with the amount of tennis that I've played. Every time I come here [to Eastbourne] I enjoy it. I think it's a beautiful city on the water."

Williams' sister Venus did reach the quarter-finals as she powered past Ana Ivanovic.

In her first tournament following a five-month absence, the five-time former Wimbledon champion hammered Ivanovic 6-3 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.