Venus Williams’ comeback hits another snag when she falls in the 1st round to Diane Perry at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Venus Williams was eliminated from the BNP Paribas Open in the first round Thursday, falling 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1 to France’s Diane Parry.

The 45-year-old Williams, who has lost her last eight WTA matches, received a wild card in the singles and doubles draws for the tournament in the Southern California desert.

Announcement

After Williams rallied in the second set to equalize, the 23-year-old Parry, ranked 111th in the world, took control and dominated the third.

It was Williams’ 10th career appearance in the tournament and first since 2024, when she also lost in the first round as a wild card. The seven-time major winner received a wild card last year, but didn’t accept it.

“I’m so excited to return to Indian Wells and can’t wait to get home to play in California,” Williams said last month.

Williams entered the BNP Paribas Open having lost her last seven matches, with her only win in her return to the tour coming in her return to Washington last year.

Announcement

She competed at the Australian Open in January and lost in the first round in both singles and doubles. Williams was the oldest woman to compete in the Australian Open singles main draw, surpassing the mark set by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round in 2015.

Williams recently entered the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, last month as a wild card and lost in the first round of singles to Ajla Tomljanovic.

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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis