Venus Williams’ Indian Wells Fire Flickers Out Early
On the sun-scorched courts of Indian Wells, Venus Williams summoned a second-set spark against Diane Parry, only for the desert heat and a younger rival’s precision to snuff it in the third.
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Under the glaring Southern California sun at the BNP Paribas Open, Venus Williams traded thunderous groundstrokes with Diane Parry, her heavy topspin forehands skidding across the hardcourt. The 45-year-old wild card, back at this event for the first time since 2024, absorbed an early barrage of crosscourt backhands that pinned her deep, dropping the opening set 6-3. Parry, the 23-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 111th, dictated with flat, penetrating returns, extending Williams’ skid to nine straight WTA losses.
“I’m so excited to be heading back to Indian Wells and can’t wait to return home to play in California,” Williams said last month.
Rally sparks second-set fight
Williams reset in the second set, varying her serve with slice to the wide corner and following with inside-in forehands that jammed Parry’s backhand. She broke at 5-5 with a sharp down-the-line pass, forcing a tiebreak where her experience shone through deeper second serves and angled volleys. The crowd’s murmurs built to cheers as she leveled the match 6-7 (4), her movement loosening amid the baseline exchanges.
Yet Parry’s composure held, countering with one-two combinations—serve plus forehand crosscourt—that exploited the court’s speed. Williams’ power disrupted briefly, but unforced errors crept in during longer rallies, her legs straining against the desert’s thin air. That fleeting momentum hinted at the veteran’s seven major titles still simmering beneath the surface.
Third set exposes hardcourt toll
Parry surged in the decider, using underspin slices to draw Williams forward before lobbing over her head, cruising to a 6-1 finish. The younger player’s footwork allowed quick covers, turning Williams’ aggressive returns into weak replies that floated long. This marked Williams’ 10th appearance here, a tournament she skipped last year despite a wild card offer, prioritizing recovery in her comeback.
Williams arrived with just one win since rejoining the tour—a gritty effort in Washington last year—and her Australian Open run in January made her the oldest woman in the main draw, topping Kimiko Date’s 44 years from 2015, though it ended in first-round singles and doubles defeats. Last month at the ATX Open in Austin, another wild-card entry fell short against Ajla Tomljanovic in the opener. These hardcourt battles test her flat serves against fresher opponents, where adaptation becomes the real match.
Comeback path winds through doubles
As the BNP Paribas Open advances without her in singles, Williams turns to doubles, a format that might rebuild rhythm without the same physical drain. Parry’s upset propels her deeper, her tactical shifts blending patience with power on this quick surface. For Williams at 45, each outing probes resilience, blending joy in competition with the grind of selective scheduling—wild cards keeping her in the draw while chasing that next breakthrough moment.