Arthur Fery, a wildcard entry from Britain, has advanced to the semifinals of Wimbledon by defeating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in a straight-sets victory. Fery’s achievement makes him only the second wildcard in history to reach this stage at Wimbledon, following Goran Ivanišević’s triumph in 2001, where he ultimately won the tournament.
The 23-year-old Fery, who grew up just a short distance from the All England Club, displayed remarkable skill and composure as he overcame the ninth-seeded Cobolli with a scoreline of 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-0, delighting the enthusiastic crowd at Centre Court. This victory marks a significant milestone, as it has been 25 years since Ivanišević’s historic win, and Fery, currently ranked 114th, is now only two matches away from potentially replicating that success.
Fery’s path to the semifinals included thrilling comeback victories against Zizou Bergs and Grigor Dimitrov, but his match against Cobolli appeared surprisingly straightforward. Cobolli had previously eliminated Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur in the prior round, raising expectations for a tough contest.
With this win over a top-10 player, Fery has now joined an elite group of British men in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon semifinals, alongside notable players such as Andy Murray, Tim Henman, Roger Taylor, and Cameron Norrie. Fery is set to surpass Norrie next week, becoming the nation’s top-ranked player.
Expressing his disbelief at his success, Fery stated, “It just gets better and better every match. I can’t believe it. It’s incredible.” He will celebrate his 24th birthday on the day of the final, scheduled for Sunday.
Fery’s next challenge will be formidable, as he faces French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. Zverev advanced by defeating American Taylor Fritz with a score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Despite having only secured two tour-level victories before this grass-court season, Fery had previously faced Cobolli in the first round of the Australian Open, where he emerged victorious, albeit with Cobolli battling a stomach issue at the time. The Italian was anticipated to be in better form this time around.
Before taking to the court, Fery had a memorable moment, shaking hands with Queen Camilla, who attended the match to witness one of the standout stories in British sports this year.
Born in France, Fery moved to Britain as a toddler with his family, which includes a father who manages Ligue 1 club Lorient and a mother who was a professional tennis player. Growing up nearby, he often visited Wimbledon, but the scenes he experienced during his match against Cobolli were unprecedented, as he broke the Italian’s serve five times while conceding his own only once.
Zverev, the second seed, is keen to continue his form after snapping a seven-match losing streak against Fritz. He acknowledged the challenge ahead, stating, “I knew that I had to play an almost perfect match to have a chance, and I feel like I did that today.” He expressed his enthusiasm for reaching the semifinals, especially after overcoming Fritz, whom he had not beaten in over two years.
Regarding his upcoming match against Fery, Zverev commented with a smile, “You guys can all be for Fery. It’s totally fine. I understand, and I don’t have a problem with it. I hope it’ll be good for me, not so good for everyone else.”
