In one of the biggest wins of her career yet, Elisabetta Cocciaretto stunned World No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the first round at Wimbledon on Tuesday (July 1), beating the American in straight sets. Pegula, coming straight off a title win at Bad Homburg last week, was one of the main favorites for the title at SW19 this fortnight.
Pegula defeated Iga Swiatek in the final at Bad Homburg last Sunday, and immediately arrived at Wimbledon with the hopes of winning her maiden Grand Slam title. The draw, pitting her against World No. 116 Cocciaretto in the first round, was not too difficult on the former US Open runner-up as well.
However, on Court 2, the Italian stunned Pegula, defeating her 6-2, 6-3 in a match that lasted just under one hour for one of the biggest upsets of the tournament yet. On that note, here are some interesting facts about Elisabetta Cocciaretto:
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Born in Ancona, Italy, in 2001, Cocciaretto was introduced to tennis at the age of six. She is currently coached by Fausto Scolari. As a junior tennis player, she made some strides, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open girls' tournament.
The Italian won her maiden WTA title at the Ladies Open Lausanne 2023, which remains her only singles title on the main tour so far. However, she has won three WTA 125 titles. At Grand Slams, her best result has been reaching the fourth round, a result she achieved at the French Open last year.
At Wimbledon, this is Elisabetta Cocciaretto's third appearance, and she has never gone past the third round so far. A former Top-30 player, an unfortunate injury hiatus has pushed her out of the top 100 now. However, a good run in Wimbledon will ensure the 24-year-old makes a comeback once again. It is important to note that Cocciaretto was also part of Italy's Billie Jean King Cup squad last year, when they won the tournament.
What next for Elisabetta Cocciaretto after beating Jessica Pegula at Wimbledon?
Following her win over Jessica Pegula, Elisabetta Cocciaretto is likely to take on Tatjana Maria, a former semifinalist, in the second round at Wimbledon 2025. The German is facing off against American Katie Volynets in the first round.
Should she reach that far, Cocciaretto is projected to face 27th seed Magda Linette in the third round and former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova in the fourth round at SW19 this year.
