logo
Jessica Pegula loses in first round at Wimbledon to Elisabetta Cocciaretto

Jessica Pegula loses in first round at Wimbledon to Elisabetta Cocciaretto

LONDON (AP) — Third-seeded Jessica Pegula was upset in the first round at Wimbledon on Tuesday, losing 6-2, 6-3 to 116th-ranked Elisabetta Cocciaretto for the American's earliest exit at a Grand Slam tournament in five years.
Pegula, the world No. 3, came into the All England Club having won the the grass-court Bad Homburg Open in Germany on Saturday when she beat Iga Swiatek in straight sets.
The last time she lost in the first round at a major tournament was the French Open in 2020.
Cocciaretto, whose ranking has dipped in recent months, told herself to 'be more aggressive and go for it, don't think about losing or winning the point.'
'I played a really great champion. She's an unbelievable player, she's a great example for all of us,' the 24-year-old Italian said in her on-court interview after her first career top-5 victory.
Pegula, quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 2023, hit only five winners and made 24 unforced errors.
Her only other first-round loss at the All England Club was in her debut in 2019.
Pegula has reached five singles finals this year — second only to top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka's seven.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

French side Metz to honor fans by featuring them on away jersey
French side Metz to honor fans by featuring them on away jersey

Winnipeg Free Press

time29 minutes ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

French side Metz to honor fans by featuring them on away jersey

METZ, France (AP) — Fans are an integral part of soccer clubs and French Ligue 1 side Metz has reinforced the bond by featuring them on the away jersey this season. As a mark of recognition to its supporters, the white away jersey has watermark images of fans raising their arms or scarves aloft and features the names of two Metz ultras groups printed on flags. 'By our side everywhere, designed to pay vibrant homage to supporters,' the club wrote alongside the jersey. Metz won a relegation-promotion playoff against Reims at the end of last season to return to the top flight, having been relegated the previous season in the same playoff. Metz opens its Ligue 1 campaign at home to Strasbourg in mid-August. ___ AP soccer:

Coco Gauff is disappointed by her Wimbledon loss but doesn't want to dwell on it
Coco Gauff is disappointed by her Wimbledon loss but doesn't want to dwell on it

Winnipeg Free Press

timean hour ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Coco Gauff is disappointed by her Wimbledon loss but doesn't want to dwell on it

LONDON (AP) — Before Wimbledon began, Coco Gauff reflected on the significance of her breakthrough performance at the place six years ago — a run to the fourth round at age 15 — and what aspirations she harbored as she prepared to return. 'Even when I see videos of me during that time, it just doesn't feel like it's me. It felt like a dream. I'll always have special memories from that run and, I guess, it definitely fueled the belief that I can be on tour and live out my dream,' she told The Associated Press. 'It's something that always holds a special place in my heart. Obviously, I would love to win this tournament just for it to be like a full-circle moment,' she continued. 'I feel like it would be like the start of the dream, and — I don't want to say 'the finish,' because I obviously have a lot of career left, but — a full-circle type of situation.' A week after that conversation, the No. 2-ranked Gauff was out of the bracket at the All England Club in the first round with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 loss to unseeded Dayana Yastremska at No. 1 Court on Tuesday night. Gauff was undone by serving troubles, including nine double-faults, and more than two dozen unforced errors in all, not to mention Yastremska's hard, flat groundstrokes. It was an abrupt, and mistake-filled, exit for Gauff, who so recently earned her second Grand Slam title — at the French Open via a three-set victory over No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. After Tuesday's defeat, Gauff said, 'I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don't like losing. The main thing I'm sure my team and everyone is going to tell me (is): 'You did well at Roland-Garros. Don't be so upset.' Things like that.' But as much as she'll want to move on and focus on what's to come, the 21-year-old American acknowledged as she dabbed away the tears welling in her eyes during her news conference that she felt 'a little bit disappointed in how I showed up today.' It's instructive to remember — setting aside that captivating 2019 debut, which featured a victory over Venus Williams — that Wimbledon's grass courts actually have produced Gauff's least successful Grand Slam results. Yastremska's take? She said she considers Gauff 'much better on clay court and hard court than on grass.' This was the second time in the past three years that she was sent home in the opening round. She's never been past the fourth round at the All England Club, whereas at every other major tournament, including the hard-court Australian Open, she's at least reached the semifinals. Her first Slam trophy arrived on the hard courts of the U.S. Open in 2023 when she was 19. She already was the 2022 runner-up on the red clay at the French Open before going one step better this time. Sabalenka's self-described 'unprofessional' comments after last month's title match in Paris became a real topic of conversation and, perhaps, a distraction. Gauff and Sabalenka sought to put it behind them — and tell fans they should, too — by filming TikTok videos together once they got to Wimbledon. 'I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards,' Gauff said, 'so I didn't feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. It's not easy to manage the tricky transition from the Roland-Garros clay to the Wimbledon grass. There's a reason it's been a decade since a woman won both in the same season — and a reason that woman was Serena Williams. By the end of the night, Gauff was eager to look ahead to the upcoming North American hard-court circuit, culminating with a trip to New York in late August. 'I mean, obviously I'm not going to dwell on this too long, because I want to do well at the U.S. Open. Maybe losing here (in the) first round isn't the worst thing in the world,' she said, 'because I have time to reset.' ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis:

Leverkusen signs England Under-21 defender Jarell Quansah from Liverpool
Leverkusen signs England Under-21 defender Jarell Quansah from Liverpool

Winnipeg Free Press

timean hour ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Leverkusen signs England Under-21 defender Jarell Quansah from Liverpool

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen has replaced former captain Jonathan Tah with Jarell Quansah from Liverpool in a club-record signing for a defender. The 22-year-old Quansah signed a contract through June 2030 and will wear Tah's former No. 4 shirt, the Bundesliga club said Wednesday. The reported fee of more than 30 million euros ($35.3 million) rising to 40 million ($47 million) with bonuses corresponds roughly with what Liverpool agreed to pay Leverkusen for Netherlands right back Jeremie Frimpong in May. Liverpool reportedly secured a buy-back option for Quansah for more than 60 million euros ($70.6 million) after he has spent two seasons at Leverkusen. Leverkusen also sold star player Florian Wirtz to Liverpool last month for a Bundesliga-record fee. Tah switched to league rival Bayern Munich once the season concluded after declining to extend his contract. He had spent a decade at Leverkusen and was a key part of the team which won the Bundesliga and German Cup unbeaten in 2023-24. Quansah won the Under-21 European Championship with England last week. But he was unable to establish himself as a regular starter at Liverpool ahead of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'One of the most promising English central defenders. He's fast, agile, a good footballer,' Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said of Quansah. 'He has already made an impressive impact in a Liverpool defense dominated by world-class players. With Jarell, our defense gains significant dynamism, pace and toughness in tackling, and he's another very important building block.' Leverkusen last week also signed Abdoulaye Faye for a reported fee of 3 million euros ($3.5 million) from Swedish team BK Häcken, with the 20-year-old Senegalese defender expected to go on loan for the upcoming season. ___ AP soccer:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store