Rising Italian Star Startles Elisabetta Cocciaretto, a 116th-ranked Italian Wimbledon qualifier, startled the tennis community by crushing World No. 3 Jessica Pegula 6–2, 6–3, snapping the latter’s Grand Slam opening-round winning run since 2021. The match, which lasted less than an hour, was the fastest major victory over a top-5 seed since 2022.
From Junior Promising to Grass-Court Expert
Cocciaretto was born in Ancona, Italy, on January 25, 2001, and started playing tennis at the age of six. She qualified for the 2018 Australian Open junior Grand Slam semifinals and made her WTA main event debut in 2019. She won her first WTA championship in Lausanne in 2023 and peaked at No. 29 in her career before falling to No. 116 due to sickness.
The Grass-Court Form Is Realised
Cocciaretto’s affinity for grass became clear earlier this season. She reached semifinals at both s‑Hertogenbosch and Birmingham. On Court 2 at Wimbledon, she showed tactical maturity—breaking Pegula’s serve four times while maintaining near-perfect serving consistency.
Historic Distress and Future Plans
Cocciaretto’s victory over Pegula made her the only Italian woman to defeat a top-3 seed at any Grand Slam since 2015 and the first Italian woman to defeat a top-3 seed at Wimbledon during the Open Era. In a competition where top seeds are eliminated early, she now moves on to play Katie Volynets in Round 2.
A bold fighter and emerging talent, Elisabetta Cocciaretto is making her mark on tennis’s grandest stage—bold proof that rankings are just numbers when fire meets opportunity.
