Venus Williams’ comeback hits another snag

Indian Wells: Venus Williams lost again in her return to the BNP Paribas Open, falling in the first round 6-3 6-7 (4) 6-1 to Diane Parry of France.

The 45-year-old Williams, who has dropped her last eight WTA singles matches, received a wild card into the singles and doubles draws for the tournament in the Southern California desert. It came 30 years after she made her Indian Wells debut in 1996 when she was 15.

After Williams rallied in the second set to tie it on Thursday, the 23-year-old Parry, ranked 111th in the world, took control and cruised in 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 was given a wild card last year, but didn’t accept it.

“Of course losing isn’t fun, but it’s great to play in front of a home crowd,” the Southern California native said. “They were behind me the whole way, and that was really fun for that. I have amazing fans that believe in me and it’s fun to play for them, or even in practice when they come out. It’s very thrilling. Yeah, today was a tough one, but that’s sport and that’s life, and I’ll take what I need from it.” agencies