Venus knocked out by Parry at Indian Wells as Dimitrov sets up Alcaraz clash

[p]The 45-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/williams-venus/M7dojKaa/"]Williams[/a], playing on a wildcard at the prestigious ATP/WTA Masters 1000 event, rallied from a set and a break down to force a third set, but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/parry-diane/hQQLzcNT/"]Parry[/a], ranked 111th in the world, stormed through the decider for a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/parry-d-hQQLzcNT/williams-v-M7dojKaa/?mid=4CpMVKLG"]6-3, 6-7(4), 6-1[/a] triumph.[/p][p][b]"It's always so fun,"[/b] Williams said. [b]"Of course, losing isn't fun, but it's great to play in front of a home crowd."[/b][/p][p]While the Californian star is enjoying competition since returning last July from a 16-month hiatus, Williams was mum on the chances fans would see her and sister [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/williams-serena/ttsu68nH/"]Serena[/a] play together this year.[/p][p][b]"You'll have to ask her that,"[/b] Williams said to the question that has bubbled in the tennis world since 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena re-entered the anti-doping testing pool.[/p][image alt="Match stats" id="77bfeca6-c2a0-45f6-8f87-4b0a260dd924" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="d09bd7aa-ac24-49e3-b09c-ae749c2325e2" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]While Williams remains in search of her first win of the year after first-round exits at the Australian Open and in Austin, Texas, she said Thursday's game wasn't a good gauge of her game.[/p][p][b]"I think today is not the kind of day that you want to assess,"[/b] she said. [b]"The conditions are impossible. Also, my match in Austin the conditions were impossible.[/b][/p][p][b]"In Austin I refused to relent and change my game and I lost very quickly. Today I tried to adjust. It's not easy. You can't trust anything that you do out there."[/b][/p][p]The 23-year-old Parry, who was born after Williams had won the first four of her Grand Slam titles, said despite the conditions she could feel the force of Williams' game.[/p][p][b]"Even if it wasn't pretty tennis today because of the wind, you can still clearly see the quality of her shots - forehand, backhand - as soon as she gets a ball she can attack, there's little chance you're getting it back.[/b][/p][p][b]"You can imagine what it was like when she was at her best,"[/b] said Parry, adding it was "an honour to be able to play against a legend of our sport.[/p][embed guid="3bc0d10b-13a9-4a0d-a08d-4f980b49aa39" url="https://x.com/WTA/status/2029716497451393485" social-type="twitter" /][p]"I watched more of Serena, the greatest player of all time, but I think a lot of people forget the career that (Venus) has had.[/p][p][b]"When, during the warm-up, the announcer gave a brief summary of her career, you think, 'Oh right, that's really something.'"[/b][/p][h2]'Solid'[/h2][p]In men's first-round action, Bulgarian veteran [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dimitrov-grigor/SQgEEKh4/"]Grigor Dimitrov[/a] booked a second-round meeting with top-seeded Spaniard [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alcaraz-garfia-carlos/UkhgIFEq/"]Carlos Alcaraz[/a] with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/atmare-t-6mkEQ279/dimitrov-g-SQgEEKh4/?mid=bTAYNKXA"]6-4, 5-7, 6-4[/a] grudge match victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/atmane-terence/6mkEQ279/"]Terence Atmane[/a], who had beaten the former world number three in Acapulco last week.[/p][p][b]"I think I started the match really well, but it was just difficult to maintain a solid level,"[/b] Dimitrov said. [b]"It could have gone either way, but I was able to stay very strong in the most important moments."[/b][/p][p]Dimitrov, a 2021 Indian Wells semi-finalist, now gets a shot at Alcaraz, who is undefeated in 12 matches in 2026 and beat Dimitrov in the fourth round here last year.[/p][embed guid="1854f2d5-e11a-46ef-822d-28ad85947b58" url="https://x.com/atptour/status/2029672906221879449" social-type="twitter" /][p]Alcaraz, whose Australian Open triumph in January made him at 22 the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, will launch his bid for a third Indian Wells title on Saturday.[/p][p]Second-seeded [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sinner-jannik/6HdC3z4H/"]Jannik Sinner[/a] of Italy launches his campaign for a first Indian Wells title on Friday, headlining the night session against Czech qualifier [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/svrcina-dalibor/vDue624T/"]Dalibor Svrcina[/a].[/p][p]Fourth-seeded German [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zverev-alexander/dGbUhw9m/"]Alexander Zverev[/a] will open second-round play on Stadium Court on Friday against Italian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/berrettini-matteo/OhwtM7N8/"]Matteo Berrettini[/a], with women's world number one [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Aryna Sabalenka[/a] up next against Japanese qualifier [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sakatsume-himeno/zZoU3kJa/"]Himeno Sakatsume[/a].[/p][p]Like Sinner, Sabalenka is chasing a first Indian Wells title. She fell in last year's final to Russian teen [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/andreeva-mirra/lI6fOOat/"]Mirra Andreeva[/a] and in 2023 to Kazakhstan's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rybakina-elena/UDzElXdm/"]Elena Rybakina[/a].[/p]