It has been 20 years since Venus Williams won her home tournament, and her stay at the 2021 Miami Open was brief. Williams was eliminated on the first day of play Tuesday, March 23,   by 89th-ranked Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan, 6-2, 7-6 (10).

The 40-year-old Williams, ranked 79th, was making her 21st appearance in the tournament, now held 75 minutes from her residence in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Williams’ most recent title in the event came in 2001, when she beat Jennifer Capriati in the final. She also won the 1998 and 1999 titles.

Crowds were small for the first day of play, and will continue to be. Because of the pandemic, only 750 fans will be allowed on the grounds per session, and the 5,000-seat grandstand will be used for showcase matches.

Seeded players have first-round byes, including No. 1 Ash Barty, who can use the extra time to adjust her body clock. She arrived in Miami after a 45-hour trip from her native Australia.

France own goal in 1-1 draw with Ukraine

Holders France got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to a disappointing start with a 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine while Turkey pulled off an impressive 4-2 win over the Netherlands, powered by a Burak Yilmaz hat-trick. Croatia slumped to a shock 0-1 defeat away to Slovenia, while Belgium continued their remarkable run in qualifiers by coming from behind to beat Wales 3-1. Ireland scored twice away to Serbia but still got beaten 3-2, while Czech Republic routed Estonia 6-2 and Portugal scraped past Azerbaijan 1-0.

Kidambi Srikanth marches to quarters

Ace India shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Thursday, March 25,  advanced to the quarter-finals of the ongoing Orleans Masters. Srikanth defeated Malaysia’s Cheam June Wei in straight games in the third-round that lasted for 46 minutes. Despite facing a tough fight in both the games, Srikanth got better of his opponent and won the encounter 21-17, 22-20.

Indian men’s doubles pair of Arjun MR and Dhruv Kapila also reached the quarter-finals after defeating England’s Rory Easton and Zach Russ 21-11, 21-12 in just 29 minutes. Another men’s doubles pair of Krishna Prashad Garaga and Vishnu Vardhan Goud Panjala stormed into the quarter-finals after overcoming the Danish pair of Kristian Kraemer and Marcus Rindshoj 21-7, 21-13 in just 28 minutes.