One of the first-round matches at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open will feature former World No. 1 Venus Williams against French qualifier Diane Parry. Williams has yet to win a match this year across four events, receiving a wildcard into the main draw at Indian Wells, while Parry entered after qualifying with wins over Elizabeth Mandlik and Lulu Sun.
Venus Williams vs Diane Parry Match Details
Date: March 5, 2026
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open 2026
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, USA
Surface: Outdoor hard
Category:Â WTAÂ 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN, TVA
Williams vs Parry Head-to-Head
This will be the first meeting between the two players, which is unsurprising given Williams has played only a limited number of matches in recent seasons.
Williams began her season at the ASB Classic, losing 4-6, 6-4, 2-6 to Magda Linette in the first round. She then competed at the Hobart International, where she suffered another first-round exit against Tatjana Maria. Her most difficult loss came at the Australian Open against Olga Danilovic, where she led 4-0 in the third set but was unable to close out the match. Most recently, she played at the ATX Open, losing to Ajla Tomljanović in the first round.
Parry, meanwhile, failed to qualify for the main draw at the Australian Open and the Merida Open. Her best run of the season came at the Ostrava Open, where she reached the semifinals with wins over Oceane Dodin, Panna Udvardy, and Nikola Bartůňková before losing to Tamara Korpatsch.
Williams vs Parry Prediction
Williams has won 57.4% of her service games and 20.8 percent of her return games this season. She has saved 52.4%Â of break points faced and converted 47.6% of break points during return games.
Parry has been significantly stronger in both serve and return metrics, winning 85.3% of her service games and 44.1% of her return games in 2026. She has saved 54.5% of break points on serve and converted 42.9% of break points.
Williams is nearing the end of her career and has struggled in longer matches, as seen in her Australian Open loss to Danilovic. Parry, by contrast, has shown solid form and is already in rhythm on the surface after playing two qualifying matches.
Considering these factors, PFSN’s Tennis Simulator gives the French player a 60% win probability, making her the favorite in the upcoming match.
Pick: Parry to win in three sets
