DAY 2 WOMEN'S UPDATES: Swiatek advances; Pegula, Zheng suffer shock exits

Iga Swiatek is still a long way from mastering the art of grasscourt tennis but on Tuesday the Pole took what she hopes will end up being a successful run at Wimbledon as she beat Russia's Polina Kudermetova 7-5 6-1 in the first round.

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Facing a Wimbledon debutant, the five-time Grand Slam champion might have hoped for an easy ride as no doubt she would have liked to escape the Court 2 furnace as quickly as possible with the temperature soaring above 33 degrees Celsius.

Despite being a grasscourt novice, Kudermetova refused to be overawed by the occasion, or her opponent, as she went toe-to-toe from the baseline with Swiatek for 45 minutes.

It was not the kind of first-round trial Swiatek would have wanted as she bids to improve her rather mediocre record at the All England Club, which remains the only major where she has not contested at least a semifinal.

In fact, it was not until the penultimate point of the opening set that Swiatek earned her first break point, which the eighth seed duly converted when Kudermetova netted a backhand to surrender the set.

That blow effectively snuffed out the 22-year-old Russian's hopes of winning a match at a Grand Slam for the first time as her baseline tactics fell apart in the second.

While Kudermetova had kept Swiatek second-guessing her game-plan for the duration of the 45-minute opening set, the former world No 1 raced through the second in only 24 minutes, securing the win with a sizzling backhand winner.

"I'm glad my game clicked in the second set and am glad some fans came to see us today as it's so hot," Swiatek told the crowd after setting up a second round meeting with American Caty McNally.

PEGULA, ZHENG SUFFER SHOCK EXITS

American third seed Jessica Pegula suffered a shock straight-sets defeat in her Wimbledon opener against Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Pegula was demolished 6-2, 6-3 by the world number 116 in just 58 minutes on Court Two.

It was a bitter blow for 2024 US Open finalist Pegula, who has never been past the quarterfinals at the All England Club.

The 31-year-old played with heavy strapping on her right knee and never looked comfortable in a lacklustre performance.

Since losing last year's US Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, world No 3 Pegula has been eliminated before the quarterfinals in all three of her Grand Slam appearances.

It was only Cocciaretto's second win against a top-10 player.

The 24-year-old has never been past the third round at Wimbledon and her best Grand Slam performance was a run to the last 16 at last year's French Open.

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen became the second big casualty as the Chinese fifth seed was beaten 7-5 4-6 6-1 in the first round by Czech Katerina Siniakova.

Zheng powered her way to gold in Paris last year and was tipped for a strong run at the All England Club but doubles specialist Siniakova had too much grasscourt craft.

Siniakova, three-time women's doubles champion at the All England Club, took the opening set when Zheng netted a backhand.

Zheng, Australian Open runner-up in 2024, raised her game to level the match but could not carry the momentum into the deciding set and slumped to her third successive first-round defeat at Wimbledon.

Siniakova's victory meant she avoided three successive Wimbledon first-round losses and she will face Japan's four-times major winner Naomi Osaka in the second round.

Earlier, American Jessica Pegula, the third seed, was dismantled 6-2 6-3 by Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

KVITOVA LOSES ON WIMBLEDON FAREWELL 

Petra Kvitova's Wimbledon farewell ended in an emotional defeat as the two-time champion was beaten 6-3, 6-1 by Emma Navarro in the first round on Tuesday.

Kvitova returned from maternity leave in February following the birth of her son Petr in 2024, but found it difficult to handle the demands of being a mother on the gruelling tennis circuit.

The 35-year-old Czech announced last week that she will bring the curtain down on her career after the US Open in August.

Kvitova's decision gave the former world No 2, who has won 31 titles in her career, one last opportunity to return to the scene of her Wimbledon triumphs.

But American 10th seed Navarro ruined her hopes of a long Wimbledon goodbye with a clinical 60-minute victory on Court One.

Kvitova could not hold back the tears when she was given a standing ovation by the crowd, responding with a wave before drying her eyes.

"It's very special to play on this beautiful court one more time. I wish I could play a little bit longer but it's OK, whatever" she said as more tears flowed.

"This place holds the best memories I could wish for. I never dreamt of winning Wimbledon.

"I will miss Wimbledon for sure, I will miss tennis but I'm ready for the next chapter as well.

"I can't wait to be back here as a member. Thank you very much Wimbledon."

A raw 21-year-old when she stunned Maria Sharapova to win the 2011 Wimbledon final, three years later Kvitova returned to the All England Club title match to rout Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0.

Now ranked 572, Kvitova has lost eight of her nine matches since becoming a parent.

But she says Wimbledon means "everything to me", an emotional connection forged not just in her tennis triumphs but also because her engagement to her coach Jiri Vanek took place on Centre Court in 2022.

She rolled back the years at the start of the first set, racing into a 3-1 lead with a series of blistering winners.

But the left-hander is no longer the force of old and she lost five games in a row with a host of unforced errors as Navarro took the set.

By the time Kvitova lost the first two games of the second set, her fate was almost sealed.

She managed one last echo of yesteryear, holding serve in the third game and celebrating with a clenched fist.

That show of defiance was Kvitova's final fling as a double-fault finished her All England Club career.

She bowed out with a kiss to her family in the players' box before leaving the Wimbledon stage for the last time.

KREJCIKOVA BATTLES BACK AGAINST EALA TO WIN

Defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova powered back from a set down to beat Philippines star Alexandra Eala in the first round.

The Czech was outplayed in the first set but lost just three more games as she completed a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win on Centre Court.

Eala, a finalist on the grass at Eastbourne last week, broke Krejcikova twice in the first set to take an early grip on the match, producing a succession of fizzing deep groundstrokes.

The rusty Krejcikova made 19 unforced errors in an untidy display, struggling to find rhythm with her ball toss on the baking court.

But the 2024 champion quickly gained a foothold in the second set and raced into a 5-0 lead, eventually taking the set as she cut her error count drastically.

The world number 16 stayed in the groove in the decider, wrapping up the match with a powerful backhand down the line.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Krejcikova has endured a difficult time since defeating Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final last year, playing just six matches in 2025 before her Wimbledon opener on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old was out of action until May after suffering a back injury and lost in the second round of the recent French Open.

Krejcikova pulled out of last week's Eastbourne Open before the quarterfinals with a thigh problem.

At the same tournament Eala, ranked 56th in the world, became the first Filipina to reach a WTA final.