Arthur Fery seemingly had no business even being in the main draw of Wimbledon. He only entered the major as a wild card participant, which was due to the kindness of his being 23 years old and British. The decision-makers at Wimbledon likely had no hope he would make it far in the event.
And yet, there he was in the quarterfinals against top-10-ranked Flavio Cobolli, one of the many Italians making a real impact on tennis in the 2020s. Surely, after not having to face a ranked player ahead of the quarters, Fery's tale would end against the ascending Cobolli.
But the Brit has spunk, and the moment certainly wasn't too big for him. He gets to sleep in his bed every night, as he lives just down the road from Wimbledon. No one would have blamed Fery for wilting in the later rounds after such an already astonishing run.
Arthur Fery keeps shocking the tennis world by defeating Flavio Cobolli at Wimbledon
Instead of Cobolli demanding respect early in the match, it was Fery coming through with a break when he needed one. He took the first set 6-4 and found a way to power through some points even though he is just 5'9", shorter than the current elites of the ATP tour. What the Brit doesn't do is give up on points, and he moves around the court well.
In other words, Arthur Fery isn't going to give matches away in London. His opponents will need to take matches from him as Fery kicks and crawls all the way to the finish.
Cobolli couldn't. Not only did he drop the second-set tie-break to Fery, but the Brit demolished Flavio Cobolli to begin the third set. Fery got a break off the Italian, and then another. The set was 5-0 before even the greatly appreciative British crowd could realize what was happening.
In fact, Fery, through sheer will, excellent shot-making, and surprising power, wouldn't lose a game in the final set. It was Cobolli who had wilted, not the Brit under enormous pressure. That should make his potential Wimbledon opponents a bit fearful.
He will next play Alexander Zverev in the semifinal. Fery will be the obvious home-crowd favorite, though defeating an in-form Zverev to reach the Wimbledon final might be the toughest task of his tennis career.
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