Venus Williams Falls At The First Hurdle
Seven-time major singles champion Venus Williams was defeated by France’s Diane Parry, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-1 on Stadium 1. The 45-year-old legend still ticked off a piece of history, becoming the oldest player to contest a match in Tennis Paradise.
“Of course losing isn’t fun, but it’s great to play in front of a home crowd,” Williams said after the loss. “They were behind me the whole way, and that was really fun for that.
“I have amazing fans that believe in me, and it’s fun to play for them, or even in practice when they come out. It’s very thrilling. Yeah, today was a tough one, but that’s sport and that’s life, and I’ll take what I need from it.”
Tagger Gets First Win In Tennis Paradise
18-year-old wild card Lilli Tagger of Austria also made use of her wild card on Thursday. The talented Austrian, who is coached by former Grand Slam champion Francesca Schiavone, eased past France’s Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-4 to pick up a win on her Indian Wells debut.
“It was an amazing match, so I’m very happy to get through this round, and can’t wait to play the next match,” Tagger told reporters after her win.
It has been a meteoric rise for the 2025 Roland Garros girls’ singles champion. She was ranked No. 776 in the world at the start of 2025 and now is perched just outside the Top 100.
Tagger, who turns 19 next February, will face No. 32-seeded Maria Sakkari in the second round.
American Ashlyn Krueger was also a winner. The 21-year-old Texas native topped Poland’s Magda Linette, 6-1, 6-4, while Sofia Kenin was defeated by Katerina Siniakova, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.
