INDIAN WELLS, Calif._There can't be many tournaments in which Venus Williams has gone more than a decade without a victory. If there are any, the BNP Paribas Open is no longer on that list.
Williams avoided the tournament for 15 years after she and her father, Richard, were targeted by boos and alleged racial slurs after she withdrew from the 2001 semifinal against her sister, Serena, at the last minute. Serena returned here in 2015, but Venus didn't come back until last year and lost her first match. On Saturday, despite heavy wraps on her left thigh and right shoulder, she came back for a 1-6, 7-6, 6-1 victory over Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.
"The past is the past, but I'm happy that I was able to move forward and everyone was able to move forward," she said. "I had so much support today. ... If I wasn't willing to move on, I wouldn't be back in Indian Wells. It's no good to hang on to things."
Serena Williams, who defeated Venus in the Australian Open final, pulled out of this tournament because of knee pain. "If she could be here, she would. Trust me. She loves it," Venus said.
