Wimbledon continued to witness major upsets as American third seed Jessica Pegula and Chinese fifth seed Zheng Qinwen were both knocked out in the first round.
Pegula, a favorite after her recent Bad Homburg win, called her 6-2, 6-3 loss to world number 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto her “worst result of the year.”
Despite strapping on her right knee, Pegula was dismantled in just 58 minutes, her struggles at Grand Slams continuing.
This marks her earliest exit from a major since the 2020 French Open, and she admitted, “I haven’t lost first round of a Slam in a very long time, so that sucks.”
Just hours later, Zheng Qinwen also exited, losing 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to veteran doubles champion Katerina Siniakova.
This is Zheng’s third consecutive first-round departure at Wimbledon.
The surprising defeats of two top-five seeds have set a dramatic tone for the Championships.
