Melbourne : Organisers of the Indian Wells Open apologised to Venus Williams and her partner Leylah Fernandez after a clerical error before the women’s doubles draw denied the wildcard pair a chance to compete.
Seven-times Grand Slam champion Williams, 45, was beaten in the opening round of the singles by Diane Parry, while Canada’s Fernandez lost to Katerina Siniakova in the second round.
Tournament organisers said they had failed to certify the pair’s doubles wildcard entry before the draw was made.
“We worked with the Women’s Tennis Association supervisor to review all available options, but because the draw had already been made, the mistake could not be corrected,” organisers said in a statement.
“We have apologised to Venus, Leylah and their teams about the matter, and regret that our fans were not able to see this duo compete in Indian Wells this year.”
Fans had hoped to see the pair in action after they reached the quarter-finals of the US Open doubles last year, where they lost to eventual runners-up Taylor Townsend and Siniakova.
Both players will still feature in mixed doubles, with Williams partnering American Christian Harrison and Fernandez teaming up with Australian John Peers.
