The 2025 Wimbledon Championships produced a wave of upsets on Tuesday, with several top seeds tumbling out in a dramatic day two at the All England Club.
Fresh off her French Open triumph, US second seed Coco Gauff was stunned 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 by Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, ranked 42 in the world. The 21-year-old American endured a shaky performance riddled with nine double faults and 29 unforced errors, marking her earliest Grand Slam exit since a first-round defeat at Wimbledon in 2023.
Joining her on the early exit list was fellow American and world number three Jessica Pegula, who lost 6-2, 6-3 in under an hour to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto. China’s Zheng Qinwen, the Olympic champion and fifth seed, also crashed out, falling 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to Katerina Siniakova.
The men’s draw saw a major upset as third seed Alexander Zverev was eliminated in five sets by French world number 72 Arthur Rinderknech in a match that spanned two days. After the loss, Zverev opened up about his mental struggles, saying, “I feel very alone out there at times… I struggle mentally. I’ve been saying that since after the Australian Open.”
While many top names faltered, defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova mounted a comeback from a set down to defeat the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. The Czech star, who has battled injury woes this year, expressed relief at being back on court. “I was in a lot of pain in my back and I didn’t really know how my career was going to go,” she said.
In other action, world number one Jannik Sinner cruised into the next round with a dominant 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 win over countryman Luca Nardi. Iga Swiatek, the five-time Grand Slam winner, continued her strong form with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Polina Kudermetova.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic was scheduled to begin his campaign in the evening session against France’s Alexandre Muller. The Serbian star is aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title and his eighth crown at SW19—tying Roger Federer’s all-time men’s record.
Meanwhile, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova bowed out in emotional fashion after a 6-3, 6-1 defeat to US 10th seed Emma Navarro in what is expected to be her final appearance at the tournament.
There were also opening-round victories for men’s fourth seed Jack Draper and fifth seed Taylor Fritz, as the tournament heads into an unpredictable second round with several big names already missing.
