American No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula lost in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday, July 1.
Pegula was defeated by Italian player Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who is ranked much lower at world no. 116 with scores of 6-2, 6-3 with match lasted less than an hour.
This was Pegula's earliest exit from a major tournament since the year 2020.
Pegula had beaten Cocciaretto in their only previous meeting at Wimbledon in 2023.
However, Pegula, who had tape on her left knee could not maintain her form this time as she only hit five winning shots and made 24 unforced errors.
Pegula recently won her ninth tennis tittle in Bad Homburg, Germany where she defeated former world number one Iga Swiatek on a grass court.
For Cocciaretto, this victory over Pegula was only the second time in her career that she has beaten a player ranked in the world's top 10.
On the other hand, since Pegula lost the US Open final last year to Aryna Sabalenka, she hasn't made it past the early round in any of three Grand Slam tournament.
What's next for Elisabetta Cocciaretto?
Cocciaretto will now face either Germany’s Tatjana Maria or Katie Volynets in the second round of Wimbledon.
