First-round singles play in the $9,415,725 BNP Paribas Open is set to conclude Thursday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden with 16 men’s matches and 16 women’s matches, including 45-year-old Venus Williams facing French qualifier Diane Parry.
The legendary Williams received wild-card entries into the women’s singles and doubles main draw. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion is 554th on the Women’s Tennis Association singles rankings. She was 974th this time last year.
Williams has lost seven consecutive singles matches since defeating fellow American Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4, in a first-round match of the Mubadala Citi DC Open July 22. In her most recent singles match, Williams lost to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, 6-4, 6-1, in a first-round match in the ATX Open in Austin, Texas Feb. 24.
Williams will be making her 10th appearance in the tournament and first since 2024.She is a three-time singles semifinalist. The 30-year span between her first main draw appearance and her latest one is a tournament record.
Williams and her sister Serena Williams boycotted the tournament from 2002 though 2014 following a 2001 incident where they experienced intense booing and alleged racist abuse from the crowd.
The boycott stemmed from a withdrawal by Venus Williams from a planned semifinal match against her sister, followed by a hostile atmosphere during Serena Williams’ final win.
Parry won two matches in qualifying to advance to the 96-player main draw. The 23-year-old is ranked 111th. This will be the first meeting between Williams and Parry.
The match will be the second at Stadium 1. It will begin no earlier than 1 p.m.
The winner will advance to face 15th-seeded American Madison Keys in the second round.
The afternoon session will begin at 11 a.m. and the evening session at 6 p.m.
American Sebastian Korda will face Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina in the first evening session match at Stadium 1.
Korda is 37th on the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings. Cerundolo is ranked 82nd. This is the first meeting of the two 25-year-olds.
The winner will face sixth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur in the second round.
Both the 32 seeded women and 32 seeded men received first-round byes.
Thursday’s winners are guaranteed at least $36,110 while the losers will receive $24,335.