Venus Williams to hit new tennis milestone at Indian Wells

Venus Williams’ run at the ATX Open came to an end on Thursday after a straight-sets defeat in the doubles.

Williams, who entered the tournament as a wildcard, teamed up with Peyton Stearns but they were beaten 2-6, 6-7 by the top-seeded pair of Taylor Townsend and Storm Hunter.

The loss followed a first-round singles exit to Alja Tomljanovic, capping off a tough week for Venus. She had earlier spoken about her interest in playing doubles with Coco Gauff again but couldn’t find success this time around.

Despite not getting the results she wanted, there were still positives to take away from her matches. Attention now turns to Indian Wells, where she’ll have another opportunity to build some momentum.

Venus Williams set to break WTA 1000 appearance record at Indian Wells

Venus Williams is preparing for her latest return to Indian Wells, having received a wildcard entry into the tournament.

OptaAce has highlighted that her upcoming appearance will see her move into a tie for sixth place in main draw appearances at Tier I / WTA 1000 events, matching Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion.

This milestone moves Venus ahead of Petra Kvitova, who had 109 appearances before retiring last year, as well as Ai Sugiyama, who finished with 107.

She’s also fourth on the all-time list for match wins in these events. Her total of 214 puts her level with Svetlana Kuznetsova and 15 ahead of Agnieszka Radwańska.

Serena Williams (263), Victoria Azarenka (231), and Maria Sharapova (220) are the only players ahead of Venus in terms of match wins at this level.

The Indian Wells draw is set to be released on Monday. In addition to playing singles, Venus will be teaming up with Leila Fernandez for the doubles event.

Venus Williams set to climb up the WTA 1000 appearance rankings

Venus Williams will make her return to Indian Wells this year, thanks to a wildcard entry.

OptaAce reports that Venus is poised to tie Francesca Schiavone for sixth place on the all-time main draw appearance list at Tier I / WTA-1000 events since the format began in 1990.

She’s already overtaken Petra Kvitova, who finished her career with 109 appearances before retiring last year.

The American also sits ahead of Ai Sugiyama, who played in 107 main draws.

In terms of match wins at WTA 1000 events, Venus ranks fourth all-time with 214 victories. That total puts her level with Svetlana Kuznetsova and well ahead of Agnieszka Radwańska, who has 199.

The only players ahead of her are Serena Williams (263), Victoria Azarenka (231), and Maria Sharapova (220).

The Indian Wells draw will be announced on Monday. Venus is entered in both singles and doubles this year, partnering Leila Fernandez in the latter.

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