INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Venus Williams was eliminated in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, losing 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1 to France’s Diane Parry.
Williams, 45, who has lost her last eight WTA matches, was given a wild card into the singles and doubles draws for the tournament in the Southern California desert.
After Williams fought back to tie the match in the second set, the 23-year-old Parry, ranked 111th in the world, took control in the third set.
This is Williams’ tenth career appearance in the tournament and first since 2024, when she also lost in the first round as a wild card. The seven-time Grand Slam champion was offered a wild card last year but did not accept it.
“I’m excited to be back in Indian Wells and can’t wait to get back to California to play,” Williams said last month.
Williams has lost her past seven matches heading into the BNP Paribas Open, with her only win back on tour coming last year in Washington.
She competed in the Australian Open in January but lost in the first round in both singles and doubles. Williams is the oldest female player to compete in the singles main draw of the Australian Open, surpassing the record set by Japan’s Kimiko Date (44 years old when she lost in the first round in 2015).
Williams competed as a wild card at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, last month and lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round of singles.
