Almost a week ago, we saw America’s McCartney Kessler beating Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska to win the title at the Nottingham Open. Seeing her incredible title triumph on grass, American former pro, CoCo Vandeweghe, showered praise on the 25-year-old by saying, “huge stuff for Kessler.” Some of the fans had even picked her up as the ‘dark horse’ at 2025 Wimbledon, but fortunately for Kessler, she had to make an early exit from the tournament after losing to the former Wimbledon Champion, Marketa Vondrousova, in the first round by 6-1, 7-6(3). Following that came yet another massive setback for American tennis fans.

The world number 3, Jessica Pegula, had also entered this tournament following a title triumph at the Bad Homburg Open. She defeated the former world number one, Iga Swiatek, by 6-4, 7-5 in the final. After that incredible win, Pegula said, “Quick turnaround for me (after making an early exit in the previous tournament in Berlin), but happy to get rolling.” However, her joy was cut short with a 2-6, 3-6 defeat against the world number 16, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships.

Just a few days ago, the former USTA president, Katrina Adams, shared a very interesting thought in her interview with CBC. She said, “First of all, we have four women in the Top 10. So that’s a good start. You talk about Coco, Madison, who have both won the first two legs of the majors this year. That’s a good start. Jess Pegula is coming off a win just a week ago at Bad Homburg. So she has got a great, solid grass-court game. So when we talk about these three players, which I just mentioned, they’re solid on the grass with their game styles.” But with Jessica Pegula’s recent exit, there has now been new set of question marks about the chances of players like Madison Keys and Coco Gauff.

As for Madison Keys, she said, “Madison Keys, with her big serve, moves well. She always had great results on grass, but she has also been injured on the grass. So, let’s hope she gets through this year and stays healthy.” Even Andy Roddick had previously predicted Jessica Pegula would make a “big run” at Wimbledon. But having said that, he also showcased his optimism with Keys’ chances at Wimbledon. He said, “I like Madison Keys from the American side. I think she is my favourite. I think she is well-versed on the grass. She had good results.“

With Jessica Pegula’s exit, is Madison Keys the new hope for the Americans? Well, Keys recently survived a major scare at the hands of Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse. It took the 2025 champion three sets to beat the world number 58. Now, if we take a look at her draw, she will face Serbia’s Olga Danilovic in the second round, and if she wins that match, she may face Leylah Fernandez in the next round before taking on the local favorite Katie Boulter in the fourth.

Madison Keys may cross paths with Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal, followed by yet another fascinating encounter against the 2024 finalist, Jasmine Paolini, in the SF before taking on possibly Coco Gauff in an all-American clash in the final. What do other experts have to say about Keys’ chance at Wimbledon, and what was Jessica Pegula’s opponent in the first round, Cocciaretto’s reaction after her impressive victory against the American?

With Jessica Pegula’s exit, all eyes are on Madison Keys, Coco Gauff, and others

Talking about the American WTA stars, Amanda Anisimova got off to an impressive start with a 6-0, 6-0 win against Yulia Putintseva in the first round. However, Peyton Stearns went down to Laura Siegemund (GER) in her first match. On Tuesday, there will be quite a few American women’s tennis players, including Coco Gauff, who will be in action. Gauff will face Dayana Yastremska in her first match. Talking about Gauff’s chances, Roddick said, “I don’t think Coco makes it to the fourth round.” Following Jessica Pegula’s exit from this tournament, it will be interesting to see who in between Gauff and Keys, makes Roddick’s Wimbledon verdict come true.

But talking about Keys’ chances at SW19, other tennis legends like Tracy Austin and Chanda Rubin also showcased a bit of optimism. For example, Austin said, “I think Maddie would be a good chance,” while Rubin claimed that she believes Keys has the game to succeed on this surface. Amid all these speculations about who is going to take things forward since Jessica Pegula’s departure, Elisabetta Cocciaretto opened up about her incredible victory against the world number 3.

This was her first top 10 win since 2023, and it took her just 58 minutes to seal the deal against Pegula. Reacting to this incredible victory, the Italian said, “To play here in such an unbelievable stadium and tournament is a dream come true for me. And I was so pumped to play Wimbledon this year. I couldn’t wait til the match started. I was practicing really hard to do the best I can today and play as many matches as possible. I played a really great champion. It was an unbelievable match.“

She also thanked the crowd for their incredible support throughout the match. On one side, we saw Jessica Pegula’s dream getting shattered, while this victory was more like a dream-come-true moment for Cocciaretto. Who among the American women’s tennis players do you think can win the title this year? Follow the Championships in real-time with EssentiallySports’ Live Blog updates.