Venus Williams out in first round for seventh straight time

At the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, Venus Williams suffered her seventh consecutive first round exit. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion has not won a match since defeating Peyton Stearns at the July 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open. In Indian Wells, the 45-year-old who entered with a wildcard lost to Diane Perry, a French 23-year-old, 6-3 6-7(4) 6-1.

Speaking with press after the early exit, the American said the wind made the match a poor benchmark of her current level, “The conditions are impossible. Also, my match in Austin the conditions were impossible. I have played the last two matches in very difficult conditions. In Austin I refused to relent and change my game and I lost very quickly. Today I tried to adjust. It’s not easy. You can’t trust anything that you do out there.”

Despite the disappointment, Williams was able to take away some joy from the match. She said, “of course losing isn’t fun, but it’s great to play in front of a home crowd. They were behind me the whole way, and that was really fun for that.”

Asked more about the local support, the California native affirmed, “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. Today was a tough one, but that’s sport and that’s life, and I’ll take what I need to from it.”

In case our readers were wondering, she still did not give away any plans for an on court reunion with sister Serena Williams. Asked if we might see them play together this year, the elder sibling said, “I think you should definitely ask her that.”

Diane Parry has her work cut out for her in Round 2. The qualifier will face 15th seed Madison Keys on Saturday.