Who is Elisabetta Cocciaretto who stunned World No 3 Jessica Pegula in Wimbledon first round

Dubai: Two years ago, Elisabetta Cocciaretto was eliminated by Jessica Pegula in the third round at Wimbledon, and the following year, illness forced her to withdraw early. But in 2025, the tide has clearly turned.

On the second day of this year’s Championships, Cocciaretto stunned the tennis world by dismantling World No. 3 Pegula in straight sets in under an hour on Court 2, pulling off one of the tournament's biggest upsets so far.

The 24-year-old Italian, currently ranked No. 116, claimed just the second Top 10 win of her career—both coming in the opening round of Grand Slams. Her first was against Petra Kvitova at Roland Garros in 2023.

Born in Ancona, Italy, Cocciaretto picked up a racket at the age of six, encouraged by her parents. She is coached by Fausto Scolari. Her talent was evident early on—she reached the semifinals of the Junior Australian Open in 2018 and made her Billie Jean King Cup debut for Italy that same year.

In 2019, Cocciaretto made her WTA Tour main draw debut as a wildcard at the Italian Open, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova. Her breakthrough came in 2023, a season in which she reached her first WTA final in Hobart, captured her maiden title in Lausanne, and climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 29.

That same year, she reached the fourth round of Roland Garros—her best Grand Slam result to date—before falling to Coco Gauff. She also helped lead Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup title.

The 2025 season had been rocky until the grass-court swing began, with Cocciaretto suffering seven first-round losses. But she found form in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, reaching the semifinals at the Libema Open.

Next, she will face American Katie Volynets in the second round at Wimbledon.