Venus Williams, 45, loses to qualifier in first round at Indian Wells

Venus Williams saw her season-long losing streak reach five matches when she fell 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1 to French qualifier Diane Parry in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday in Indian Wells, Calif.

Williams, 45, has lost in the opening round at Auckland, New Zealand; Hobart, Australia; the Australian Open; Austin, Texas; and now Indian Wells in 2026. Her overall skid is eight matches dating back to a first-round win in Washington last summer.

Parry finished with a 9-4 edge in aces, and she saved three of the four break points she faced. She next will meet 15th-seeded Madison Keys.

Croatia's Donna Vekic, another player who hadn't won a tour-level match this year, edged the Czech Republic's Tereza Valentova 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) to earn a second-round match against fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula.

In other first-round action, the Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova rallied past the United States' Sofia Kenin, a former Australian Open finalist, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. Kenin was hampered by serving seven double faults.

A quartet of U.S. players earned victories Thursday afternoon. Ashlyn Krueger toppled Poland's Magda Linette 6-1, 6-4. Taylor Townsend trounced the Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-1, and Kayla Day downed Great Britain's Francesca Jones 6-3, 6-1. Katie Volynets won the first set 6-1 before opponent Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia retired after receiving treatment on her right leg.

Other first-round winners included Austria's Lilli Tagger, Spain's Cristina Bucsa, Hungary's Anna Bondar, Great Britain's Sonay Kartal, Germany's Laura Siegemund and Australia's Storm Hunter.

--Field Level Media