Venus Williams Falls in Indian Wells Opener

Venus Williams was eliminated in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open, falling 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1 to France’s Diane Parry. The 45-year-old received wild cards into both the singles and doubles draws; the defeat extends her WTA singles losing streak to eight matches.

Williams’ Indian Wells appearance came 30 years after her debut at the event in 1996 as a 15-year-old. After dropping the opening set she rallied to force a second-set tiebreak, but 23-year-old Parry, ranked 111th, regrouped and dominated the deciding set.

Reflecting on the match, Williams said she appreciated the support of the home crowd and that competing for her fans was a rewarding part of the experience despite the result.

This was Williams’ 10th trip to Indian Wells and her first appearance there since 2024, when she also exited in round one as a wild-card entrant; she had declined a wild card offered last year.

Parry now advances to face 15th-seeded American Madison Keys in the second round on Saturday.

Williams came into the tournament having struggled for wins on her comeback; her only victory since returning to the tour was in Washington last year. She played the Australian Open in January, losing in the first round of both singles and doubles while becoming the oldest woman to appear in an Australian Open singles main draw, and most recently lost in the opening round of the ATX Open in Austin as a wild card to Ajla Tomljanovic.