The pristine grass courts of Wimbledon, steeped in tradition, are no strangers to drama, but on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, the All England Club witnessed a seismic upset that sent shockwaves through the tennis world. In a mere 58 minutes, world No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy dismantled No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula of the United States 6-2, 6-3 in the first round, delivering the biggest surprise of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships thus far. This stunning victory not only ended Pegula’s 17-match Grand Slam first-round winning streak but also marked a triumphant return for Cocciaretto, who had missed the previous year’s tournament due to a harrowing battle with pneumonia.
Pegula, fresh off a commanding title win at the Bad Homburg Open just days earlier, where she defeated former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, entered Wimbledon as a favorite for a deep run. Her powerful baseline game and grass-court prowess made her a formidable contender, but on Court Two, she was uncharacteristically off-kilter. The 31-year-old American struggled with her serve, landing only half her first serves and winning just 42% of second-serve points. Her performance was marred by 24 unforced errors against a paltry five winners, a stark contrast to her usual precision. “No, it wasn’t (good). It was terrible,” Pegula admitted, reflecting on her serve. “It’s so frustrating when something you’ve been working on so much doesn’t come and help you when you want it to, especially on grass.”
Cocciaretto, by contrast, was a revelation. The 24-year-old Italian, who has endured a challenging year that saw her ranking plummet from a career-high of No. 29 to No. 116, played with fearless aggression. She struck 17 winners, served flawlessly without facing a single break point, and converted four of six break-point opportunities against Pegula. Her strategy was clear: take the ball early, redirect Pegula’s pace, and dominate from the baseline. “I told myself to be more aggressive and go for it,” Cocciaretto said, her joy evident in her post-match interview. “Playing on this court is a dream for me.” This victory, her second against a top-10 player following a win over Petra Kvitova at Roland Garros in 2023, was a testament to her resilience and love for grass.
The match was a reversal of fortunes from their previous encounter at Wimbledon in 2023, where Pegula had cruised to a 6-4, 6-0 victory in the third round. This time, Cocciaretto flipped the script, capitalizing on Pegula’s tentative play and her own affinity for grass, a surface where she has previously reached the semifinals in s-Hertogenbosch. “She played absolutely incredible tennis,” Pegula acknowledged, giving credit to her opponent. “She was hitting her shots, going for it, serving big, serving high percentage, redirecting the ball. I do feel like she played kind of insane. Kudos to her.”
For Cocciaretto, this win carries profound personal significance. Last year, her grass-court season was derailed by a severe illness that forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon. “I was in the hospital, and I was sick for a month and a half,” she recalled. “That’s why I was so pumped to play here.” Her journey back to the All England Club was fraught with setbacks, including a stomach virus that sidelined her for two months after the Paris Olympics. Yet, her performance on Tuesday showcased her determination to reclaim her place on the big stage. “I don’t think too much about my ranking now,” she said. “The journey of tennis is long. You have to adapt yourself, you have to enjoy, but also you have to accept life.”
Pegula, a US Open finalist in 2024 and a five-time singles finalist this year, expressed disappointment but looked ahead optimistically. “It’s really a bummer to lose,” she said. “The bonus is I can go prep for the hard courts, which seems to be my favorite surface anyways, and see if I can just make some more magic this summer.” Her earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2020 French Open leaves a void in the women’s draw, opening opportunities for others in a section now led by seventh-seeded Mirra Andreeva.
Cocciaretto advances to face either American Katie Volynets or Germany’s Tatjana Maria, a 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist, in the second round. Her performance signals a potential resurgence, and with her aggressive style and grass-court pedigree, she could pose further threats. As Wimbledon 2025 unfolds, this upset serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of the sport, where a determined underdog can topple a titan in the blink of an eye, leaving fans and players alike buzzing with anticipation for what’s to come.
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