Venus Williams suffered another setback in her return to competitive tennis, losing her eighth consecutive WTA singles match at the BNP Paribas Open. The 45-year-old American fell 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1 to 23-year-old French player Diane Parry in the first round, despite receiving a wild card for the tournament where she made her debut 30 years ago.

Williams, a seven-time major champion, showed resilience by rallying in the second set but couldn't maintain momentum as Parry seized control in the final set. The Southern California native acknowledged the support from her home crowd after the match, stating "losing isn't fun, but it's great to play in front of a home crowd." This marks Williams' 10th appearance at Indian Wells and first since 2024.

The former world No. 1 continues her challenging comeback season, having lost in the first round at the Australian Open earlier this year despite making history as the oldest woman to compete in the tournament's singles main draw. Parry advances to face 15th-ranked Madison Keys in the second round.