Third seed Jessica Pegula suffers shock Wimbledon exit

LONDON – Third seed Jessica Pegula admitted that her shock straight-sets defeat against Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the Wimbledon first round on July 1 was her “worst result of the year”.

The American was demolished 6-2, 6-3 by the world No. 116 in just 58 minutes on Court Two.

It was a bitter blow for the 2024 US Open finalist, who has never been past the quarter-finals at the All England Club. But fresh off a title in Bad Homburg, she was tipped for a deep run at Wimbledon.

But the 31-year-old, playing with heavy knee strapping, looked uncomfortable throughout her underwhelming display.

She managed just half her first serves, struck only five winners, and racked up 24 unforced errors in a tentative display that lacked her usual fighting spirit.

“She played incredible tennis. Do I think I played the best match ever? No. But I wasn’t that bad. It was just her day today,” Pegula said.

“I think I could have served better, but I was having trouble with the conditions. It was very humid, and the court was slow.

“I tried my best to match her level and I thought I would close the gap in the second set. But she didn’t drop her level at all. She was forcing a lot of my errors.”

Since losing last year’s US Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 3 has been eliminated before the quarter-finals in all three of her Grand Slam appearances.

“It’s probably the worst result I’ve had all year. I haven’t lost in the first round of a Slam for a long time. That sucks,” added Pegula, who had previously won 17 consecutive first-round matches at the Grand Slams, a run dating back to 2021.

“I feel like I’m playing as well as I was