Elisabetta Cocciaretto Shares Emotional Story Behind her Win Against Jessica Pegula at Wimbledon

Recently crowned Bad Homburg Open champion and World No. 3 Jessica Pegula was stunned in straight sets by Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the opening round at Wimbledon.

Elisabetta Cocciaretto Shares Emotional Story Behind her Win Against Jessica Pegula at Wimbledon

Jessica Pegula, Elisabetta Cocciaretto (images via X)

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The first round of Wimbledon 2025 has already seen many top players and strong favorites being stunned, such as the likes of Holger Rune, Lorenzo Musetti, and Daniil Medvedev. In the women’s draw, the first shocking upset came from Jessica Pegula’s opening round exit.

Fresh off her second grass-court title at the Bad Homburg Open, World No. 3 Pegula crashed out in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday, stunned in straight sets by World No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

The Italian hit 17 winners to Pegula’s five. Cocciaretto also served impeccably, conceding just eight points in total behind her delivery, and did not face a break point during the match while capturing Pegula’s serve three times. Cocciaretto sealed the victory in just 58 minutes with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-3. Speaking about the win, after the match she remarked:

I was so pumped to play Wimbledon this year, I couldn’t wait until the match started, I was practising so hard…

This win marks Cocciaretto’s second career Top 10 victory — both of which have come in the first round of a Grand Slam, following her win over Petra Kvitova at that stage of Roland Garros in 2023. She added:

The win was extra special for Cocciaretto, who twelve months ago had to withdraw from Wimbledon due to illness despite her strong grass-court form. She returned back to tour in August last year and was also a part of Italy’s Billie Jean King Cup-winning squad later in the year.

I had a lot of stops last year. I was in the hospital and I was sick for one month. That’s why I couldn’t play here and that’s why I was so pumped … I don’t think too much about my ranking right now. The journey of tennis is long. You have to adapt yourself, you have to enjoy, but also you have upset in life.

Elisabetta Cocciaretto will meet Katie Volynets in the second round at Wimbledon

Jessica Pegula fell in the opening round of a Grand Slam for the first time since Roland Garros 2020, where she lost the match to Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. The opening round at Wimbledon marked the first meeting between 2023 quarterfinalist Pegula and Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Elisabetta Cocciaretto (image via X)

The 24-year-old is a two-time grass-court semifinalist. She reached that stage at Birmingham 2024, where she fell to eventual champion Yulia Putintseva, and again at the Libema Open three weeks ago, where she lost to eventual runner-up Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Cocciaretto’s best run at Wimbledon was in 2023, when she reached the third round. Her best run at Majors has been at the 2024 Roland Garros, where she reached the fourth round.

In her second round at Wimbledon this year, Cocciaretto will face another American player, Katie Volynets. They both will also meet for the first time on court. Akin to her upcoming opponent, Volynets also defeated a recent grass-court champion in the opening round of Wimbledon.

The American overcame Queen’s Club Champion Tatjana Maria in three sets in the first round. Volynets’ grass swing this year has been rather disappointing, as she faced early exits in all the tournaments that she played.

Also Read: Jessica Pegula Delivers Assessment of Iga Swiatek’s Performance on Grass After Bad Homburg Final Clash