American Jessica Pegula was seen by many as a Wimbledon dark horse having come to London off the back of winning the the Bad Homburg warm-up event, but the world No.3 has been KO’d in the first round by unheralded Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Pegula, who beat Iga Swiatek in straight sets at Bad Homburg, had not lost in the first round at a grand slam since the French Open in 2020.
But Cocciaretto, ranked 116, was unperturbed by her status and form in dismissing the third seed 6-2, 6-3 on Tuesday.
The Italian, whose ranking has dipped in recent months, said she had told herself to “be more aggressive and go for it, don’t think about losing or winning the point.”
Pegula, a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in 2023, hit five winners while making 24 unforced errors.
She had reached five singles finals this year — second only to top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka’s seven.
Content Source: www.perthnow.com.au