INDIAN WELLS - Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was sent crashing out at Indian Wells on Thursday, falling in three sets to French qualifier Diane Parry.
The 45-year-old Williams, playing on a wild card at the prestigious ATP/WTA Masters 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.
Williams, who won the first four of her Grand Slam titles before 23-year-old Parry was born, remains in search of a first victory of 2026 after first-round defeats at the Australian Open and in Austin, Texas.
Parry gained the upper hand with a break for 4-2 in the first set, then saved three break points in the next game.
Williams regained a break in the second set and levelled the match when Parry put a volley into the net.
But Parry, shaking off the difficult, windy conditions, regrouped quickly to race away with the third.
She'll next face another Grand Slam winner in the 15th-seeded American Madison Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion.