US player Jessica Pegula gestures as she plays against Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto during their women's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 1, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP)
London: American third seed Jessica Pegula suffered a shock straight-sets defeat in her Wimbledon opener against Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Tuesday.
Pegula was demolished 6-2, 6-3 by the world number 116 in just 58 minutes on Court Two.
It was a bitter blow for 2024 US Open finalist Pegula, who has never been past the quarter-finals at the All England Club.
The 31-year-old played with heavy strapping on her right knee and never looked comfortable in a lacklustre performance.
Since losing last year's US Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, world number three Pegula has been eliminated before the quarter-finals in all three of her Grand Slam appearances.
It was only Cocciaretto's second win against a top-10 player.
The 24-year-old has never been past the third round at Wimbledon and her best Grand Slam performance was a run to the last 16 at last year's French Open.
