Venus Williams knocked out by Diane Parry at Indian Wells

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was eliminated from the Indian Wells Masters after a three-set defeat to French qualifier Diane Parry on Thursday.

The 45-year-old American, competing on a wild card at the prestigious event, lost 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 to the world number 111 in a challenging match affected by windy conditions

Williams showed her trademark resilience by recovering from a set and a break down to force a decider, but Parry dominated the third set to secure the victory.

Despite the loss, Williams expressed gratitude for the opportunity to compete in front of home fans.

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

Williams, who returned to competitive tennis last July after a 16-month hiatus, remained cautious when asked whether she might play alongside her sister Serena Williams this year.

Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, recently re-entered the anti-doping testing pool, sparking speculation about a possible return.

Reflecting on the match, Williams said the difficult conditions made it hard to assess her performance.

“The conditions are impossible. You can’t trust anything that you do out there,” she said.

Parry, 23, said it was an honour to face a tennis legend. Born after Williams had already won four of her Grand Slam titles, the French player praised the power and quality of her opponent’s game despite the windy conditions.

Meanwhile, in the men’s draw, Grigor Dimitrov advanced to face top seed Carlos Alcaraz after defeating Terence Atmane in three sets.