Winner to face No. 15 seed Madison Keys in the R64.
American icon Venus Williams will return for her 10th appearance at the Californian desert, as she faces Diane Parry in the 2026 BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells Round of 128. The 45-year-old is still looking to register her first singles win of the year, and turns to familiar conditions in the quest for success. Meanwhile, Parry came through qualifying to enter the main draw at Tennis Paradise. The winner of this match-up is set to run into former Australian Open champ Madison Keys in Round-2.
Venus Williams, everyone 👑 pic.twitter.com/ZkcSwePuvv
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2025
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams is a three-time semifinalist at Indian Wells. A former World No. 1, the American is currently ranked 554th in the WTA Rankings. Despite earning well over 800 singles wins throughout her career, Williams has begun 2026 with a record of 0-4. Yet, she is a strong contender to advance on Wednesday. Opposing her will be French qualifier Diane Parry. The 23-year-old is ranked just outside the Top-100 and entered this competition with a 50% success rate this year. Parry is a former junior World No. 1 who is searching for a maiden championship run on the circuit. Her best finish at the majors is Round-3.
Diane Parry is using a two-handed backhand on return now (but keeping one-handed in rallies)
— Owen (@kostekcanu) February 5, 2026
Noticed it during practice at AO but I wasn't sure if she was just messing around. Looks like she's doing it in matches though pic.twitter.com/Att56W4pEo
According to the tennis betting odds on BetMGM, Venus Williams (+285) is the least favored of the two players in terms of winning the opening round encounter on Wednesday. On the other hand, Diane Parry (-385) is a firm favorite in the market against all external odds. Here’s how we are betting on this Round of 128 contest at the WTA Indian Wells 2026, including our best bets, supporting odds and a set-score prop for bigger prices.
Given below are the latest odds for Venus Williams vs Diane Parry from the top sportsbooks. We are looking at the match money line, game handicap and total games, plus some set betting markets where available.
| Market | BetMGM | FanDuel |
| Moneyline | Williams (+285), Parry (-385) | Williams (+275), Parry (-365) |
| Game Handicap | Williams +4.5 (+102), Parry -4.5 (-132) | |
| Total Games | >20.5 (-104), <20.5 (-125) | |
| Set Betting | Parry 2-0 (-150) |
Our Pick: Venus Williams +4.5 Games at +102 Odds.
While the recent data suggests otherwise, Venus Williams’ fighting spirit puts her in a competitive position against unseeded opponents. Moreover, the 45-year-old has the brute force and experience to outwit someone like Parry on home turf. However, the slower court conditions mean that Williams will have to exert more energy and add topspin in order to ruffle some feathers. Provided Parry can weather the initial storm and extend the rallies, she is the favorite over three sets.
The head-to-head between Williams and Parry remains 0-0 so far. They are yet to face one another on the WTA circuit. Stay tuned for further updates regarding this rivalry.
The WTA BNP Paribas Open 2026 can be streamed live on various platforms and channels, depending on which part of the world you are watching from. This includes Tennis Channel, WTA TV, TSN, DAZN, ESPN International, beIN Sports, Setanta Sports, Sky Sports and SuperSport.
| Date | March 5, 2026 |
| Time | |
| Tournament | WTA Indian Wells, Round of 128 |
| Surface | Outdoor Hard Court |
| Court | Indian Wells Tennis Garden |
| TV/Streaming | Tennis Channel, WTA TV, TSN, DAZN, ESPN International, beIN Sports, Setanta Sports, Sky Sports, SuperSport |
(Image Credits: Susan Mullane, Imagn Images)
A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.
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