World No. 4 Pegula advances at 2026 Wimbledon in bid for first Grand Slam title

Jessica Pegula, the world No. 4 from the United States, advanced through the first round of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, which carries a total purse of 64.2 million pounds.

Pegula defeated Daria Vidmanova of the Czech Republic, ranked 92nd, 2-0 (7-5, 6-3) at the All England Club in London on Sunday (Korean Standard Time).

Still without a Grand Slam singles title, Pegula is chasing her first major championship at this year's tournament.

Her best Wimbledon result to date was a quarterfinal run in 2023.

Pegula raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first set before allowing her opponent back into the match, but ultimately closed it out 7-5. In the second set, she broke Vidmanova's serve three times to wrap up the victory in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Pegula will face Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain, ranked 253rd, in the second round.

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, ranked 11th and a Wimbledon semifinalist last year, also moved into the second round with a commanding 2-0 (6-2, 6-1) win over Mika Stojsavljevic of Britain, ranked 276th, finishing in just 1 hour and 6 minutes. Like Pegula, Bencic is also seeking her first Grand Slam title at this tournament.

Bencic will next face the winner of the match between Wang Xinyu of China, ranked 39th, and Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy, ranked 46th.

In the men's singles, 19-year-old Spanish prospect Rafael Jodar, ranked 26th, made a winning Wimbledon main-draw debut, defeating Felix Gil of Britain, ranked 220th, 3-0 (6-3, 6-3, 7-5) in 1 hour and 56 minutes.

Jodar was ranked outside the top 500 last year but has emerged as one of the sport's most exciting young talents after reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open this year.

He will take on Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, ranked 70th, in the second round.

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