Is this goodbye? Venus Williams drops first-round match at BNP Paribas Open
It's fair to wonder if Thursday afternoon was the last time desert fans will get to see Venus Williams in action in the desert.
The 43-year-old tennis icon lost her first-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells to qualifier Nao Hibino of Japan 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. It was a match that turned on a dime. Williams led 6-2, 3-2 in the second set and then inexplicably Hibino started to string together shot after shot, and in a flash she had won 10 straight games to finish the match.
Williams' last swing of the racket was a double fault. A deflating way to end a match that started with such promise. Hibino turned up the energy and Williams couldn't match it. Williams did not address the crowd after the match, but she did have a smile on her face as she waved to the crowd before exiting.
Williams, owner of 49 career wins on the WTA Tour including seven Grand Slams, received a wild-card entry into the field this year. It's the first time she's played in the event since 2019. Despite accomplishing so much in her career none of those 49 wins came at the BNP Paribas Open.
The Southern California native played in this event just nine times over the years with her best finish being a semifinal in 1998, 2001 and 2018. That's not a typo, she made the semifinal here in 1998 and 20 years later in 2018. She and sister Serena boycotted this event from 2002 to 2015 after an incident that happened during the 2001 semifinal. An injured Venus had to pull out of a match against Serena and the irate crowd treated the family in a hostile manner to the point where they chose not to return.
Williams has given no indication that she is ready to hang up her racket, and plans to keep playing as long as her health and competitive drive will allow.
For Hibino, who is 29 years old, it was a big win. This is her fourth appearance at Indian Wells and the first time she made it past the first round. And playing a living legend on the main court is the type of spotlight she's not used to.
"I was so nervous as you can see she has been the best in our sport since I was kid so I was so grateful for having a chance to play her today," Hibino told the crowd after the match.
She said later in a news conference that she didn't change her tactics much from the first set but she shed the nerves and that made a big difference.
"I heard some Japanese voices in the crowd which gave me some energy," Hibino said. "And the wind picked up and Venus made a couple double faults for a chance to break and that was it. I was just trying to get as many balls back as possible and I started to a better job of that. There was still some pressure ... but not the bad kind."
This match began Wednesday night and the players only got two games in (tied 1-1) before it started raining and they had to return. That's why Hibino now has to turn around and play again tomorrow. She'll face the No. 17 seed Veronika Kudermetova.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Venus Williams ousted in first round by Nao Hibino
