Keys, Pegula Experience Mixed Fates in Wimbledon First Round

WIMBLEDON, England — American tennis players Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula had contrasting experiences in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday and Tuesday. Keys secured a hard-fought victory, while Pegula faced an early exit.

On Monday, Keys, the sixth seed, overcame an ailing opponent in Romanian competitor Elena Ruse, winning 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-5. “Really tough match,” Keys said courtside, wiping sweat from her face. “She played really well, obviously she was suffering a few issues as it was quite toasty out here. My serve got me through that match.”

Ruse took the first set but struggled under the intense heat. The match was paused for nearly 10 minutes when Ruse called for the trainer due to cramps. After resuming play, Ruse managed to level the second set at 5-5, but Keys responded strongly, winning four games in a row to take the set and then moving ahead in the third set.

Despite Ruse’s attempts to fight back, including an underarm serve that caught Keys by surprise, Keys ultimately secured her victory. She is set to face Serbia’s No. 4 seed, who advanced after defeating Latvia’s 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

In contrast, Pegula, the No. 3 seed, suffered a shocking defeat to Italian player Lucia Cocciaretto, ranked No. 116, losing 6-2, 6-3 in less than an hour on Tuesday. Pegula had recently won a title in Bad Homburg, Germany, but acknowledged, “She played absolutely incredible tennis.”

Cocciaretto’s victory made her the first Italian to defeat a top-3 seed at Wimbledon since the start of the Open Era in 1968. “Do I think I played the best match ever? No. But I definitely don’t think I was playing bad,” Pegula said. Despite her previous win over Cocciaretto, Pegula struggled with her serve, winning only 42% of points on her second serve.

“It wasn’t (good); it was terrible,” Pegula added of her serving performance. “I’m upset that I wasn’t able to turn anything around. But at the same time, I do feel like she played kind of insane. Kudos to her.”

Pegula has not lost in the first round of any Grand Slam since 2020. She noted that her knee, which had troubled her previously, felt fine during the match. Cocciaretto will face another American competitor in the next round.