Wimbledon 2025 has already seen a record-tying number of seeded players eliminated in the first round, creating significant upsets and shaking up the brackets in both the men's and women's singles. A total of 23 seeds are out of the competition after the first two days, matching a historic high.

High-Profile Women's Upsets

The women's draw has been particularly volatile, with three of the world's top five players exiting early. Coco Gauff, the No. 2 seed and recent French Open champion, suffered a surprising defeat against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine. Gauff struggled with her serve, committing nine double faults, and was broken four times in the 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 loss. Originally scheduled to play on Centre Court, the match was moved to Court 1 due to delays. This marks only the third time in her career that Gauff has been eliminated in the first round of a major and her first time since Wimbledon 2023.

Jessica Pegula, the No. 3 seed, also faced an unexpected defeat, losing to Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto in under an hour. Cocciaretto, ranked No. 116 in the world, dominated the match, winning 6-2, 6-3. Pegula, who had just won the Bad Homburg Open, couldn't maintain her momentum, hitting only five winners and making 24 unforced errors. This is Pegula's first opening-round loss at a Grand Slam in five years, ending a streak of 17 straight first-round wins at the majors. "It's definitely the worst result of the year," Pegula admitted. "But I know where I'm at and what I've been through, and I'm not panicking about it".

Adding to the list of upsets, No. 5 seed Qinwen Zheng was defeated by Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 4-6, 6-1. Other seeded women who have been eliminated include No. 9 Paula Badosa and No. 15 Karolina Muchova.

Men's Seeds Fall

The men's draw has also seen its share of surprises, with No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev's loss to unseeded Arthur Rinderknech being a major shock. Rinderknech, ranked No. 72, secured a 6-7, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory in a marathon match that was suspended overnight. Zverev, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, struggled against Rinderknech's strong serve, with the Frenchman delivering 25 aces and saving all nine break points he faced. This is Zverev's earliest exit at a Grand Slam since 2019, which was also at Wimbledon.

Several other seeded men have also been ousted in the first round, including No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 8 Holger Rune, and No. 9 Daniil Medvedev. Musetti lost to Nikoloz Basilashvili, Rune was defeated by Nicolas Jarry, and Medvedev was upset by Benjamin Bonzi. In total, 13 of the 32 men's seeds lost in the first round.

Impact on the Tournament

These early upsets have created chaos in the brackets and opened up opportunities for unseeded players and lower-ranked seeds. With so many top contenders eliminated, the path to the finals is now less predictable. While pre-tournament favorites like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz remain in contention, the field is now wide open for potential dark horses to make a deep run in the tournament.