Alexander Zverev ended Arthur Fery's fairytale run and with it British dreams as he eased to a dominant straight-sets semi-final win at Wimbledon. The second seed defeated the British wildcard 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court on Friday afternoon.
Fery's Remarkable Journey
For 10 days at SW19, Fery had defied the odds. Early in the first week, his title of 'last Brit standing' came almost by default as his compatriots fell all around him. But then Fery started to really run with the baton. Nosebleeds were defied, furious opponents ignored with the help of earplugs, and unlikely comebacks summoned on a thrillingly regular basis.
It was far from a cakewalk to the semi-finals. Fery beat Grigor Dimitrov on his Centre Court debut and then brushed aside ninth seed Flavio Cobolli. However, the well ran dry on Friday afternoon. Against an opponent nine inches taller than him and more than 100 places higher in the world rankings, at least until Fery rises into the top 40 as the new British No1 next week, it was a sobering occasion.
Zverev's Dominance
Second seed Zverev was imperious on serve and his forehand a weapon that Fery could not tame. Of the 44 winners he hit, only nine came from the backhand. Zverev had never previously made it beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon. However, he is playing with a fresh freedom after his French Open triumph and on this form there is every chance he backs it up with a Wimbledon title.
After winning every point in a dominant first-set tie-break, Zverev faced little further stress in a 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory on Centre Court. Whether it be Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic waiting for him on Sunday, Zverev will fancy his chances of doubling his Grand Slam tally at the first time of asking.
"This Grand Slam has always been the one that I have struggled with most and all of a sudden I am in the final of Wimbledon so I am incredibly happy, proud as well of the team and everyone who was involved," Zverev said. "Whether it is the defending champion or someone who has won here 48 times with Novak Djokovic, it's not going to be easy no matter who it is against."
Zverev Praises Fery
Reflecting on his performance, Zverev said: "It was amazing. I have to give credit to Arthur. Unbelievable player. He's going to be a senior citizen on our tour because I think he is going to play on this tour for 15-plus years. I think this was just the beginning of his career. I really think he is going to do amazing things in this sport."
It was to Fery's credit that he looked at home on such a big stage. He was only the fifth man to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam as a wildcard. Before these Championships, he had won just two matches at tennis' majors.
Match Analysis
Up against the most recent Grand Slam champion, though, he stood up to the test. Fery's serve looked solid and he troubled Zverev. His best success came at the net, where he won nine of 10 points in the first set. Zverev's forehand did not take long to warm up and he broke to lead 3-1, but Fery did not shrink. Zverev was broken for only the fifth time all tournament in the following game, Fery running down drop shots and flicking sensational winners to the delight of a raucous, partisan Centre Court crowd.
Holds were exchanged through to a tie-break. Fery needed to raise his level at such a decisive moment but instead it dropped. Significantly. A double fault immediately handed Zverev a mini-break and he followed it with a poor forehand. Zverev, meanwhile, found three big first serves in a row and suddenly his forehand could not miss. Fery was still on his way to the net for a serve and volley when Zverev laced a winner past him crosscourt to take the tie-break 7-0.
That took the wind out of the crowd, as the atmosphere became increasingly flat. It also proved a body blow for Fery, who became increasingly irritated. The Brit came from a set down to win in his first three matches of this run. Against Dimitrov, he recovered from being two sets to one behind. This, though, quickly had an ominous feel. Zverev increasingly bullied Fery from the back of the court and his service games passed by in a blur.
Zverev hammered a return winner past Fery to break for 2-1 and he then made it a double break to take complete control of the set. Fery battled his way to a hold to deny Zverev a fifth straight game and a third consecutive break, but that was as good as it got. Zverev breezed through a hold to love to move two sets up.
Final Set
Both players went off court before the third set, Fery in particular taking a lengthy break before returning. He bounced around on the baseline, trying to inject some energy into a match that was slipping away from him. Zverev, though, was firing on all cylinders. Fery kept him at bay for a couple of games but Zverev broke to lead 3-2, sealed with a stunning forehand winner crunched crosscourt.
The artillery from the back of the court was relentless. Zverev got to 0-40 for a double break but Fery got the crowd going again with a lovely pick-up at the net, saving those break points and holding to keep his slim hopes alive. However, Zverev did not look like being broken. He lost two points on serve all set. Fery went long for the final time and Zverev launched the ball into the crowd in delight. Even that came off the middle of the racket.
