Qualifier Diane Parry ends Venus Williams’ desert dream

INDIAN WELLS – Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams said she enjoyed herself despite crashing out at Indian Wells on March 5, falling in three sets to French qualifier Diane Parry.

The 45-year-old, playing on a wild card at the prestigious ATP/WTA 1000 event, rallied from a set and a break down to force a third set. But Parry, ranked 111th in the world, stormed through the decider for a 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1 triumph.

“It’s always so fun,” Williams said. “Of course, losing isn’t fun, but it’s great to play in front of a home crowd.”

While the Californian star is enjoying competition since returning last July from a 16-month hiatus, she was mum on the chances that fans would see her and sister Serena play together in 2026.

“You’ll have to ask her that,” Williams said to the question that has bubbled in the tennis world since 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena re-entered the anti-doping testing pool.

While Williams remains in search of her first win of 2026 after first-round exits at the Australian Open and in Austin, Texas, she said the March 5 match was not a good gauge of her game.

“I think today is not the kind of day that you want to assess,” she added. “The conditions are impossible. Also, (in) my match in Austin, the conditions were impossible.

“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.”

The 23-year-old Parry, who was born after Williams had won the first four of her Grand Slam singles titles, said despite the conditions, she could feel the force of Williams’ game.

“Even if it wasn’t pretty tennis today because of the wind, you can still clearly see the quality of her shots – forehand, backhand – as soon as she gets a ball she can attack, there’s little chance you’re getting it back,” she said, adding it was “an honour to be able to play against a legend of our sport”.

“You can imagine what it was like when she was at her best. I watched more of Serena, the greatest player of all time, but I think a lot of people forget the career that (Venus) has had.

“When, during the warmup, the announcer gave a brief summary of her career, you think, ‘Oh right, that’s really something’.”

In men’s first-round action, Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov booked a meeting with top-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz after prevailing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a grudge match over Terence Atmane.

Dimitrov now gets a shot at Alcaraz, who is undefeated in 12 matches in 2026 and seeking a third Indian Wells title, on March 7. AFP