Arthur Fery has advanced to the Wimbledon semi-finals after a dominant straight-sets victory over Flavio Cobolli. The British wildcard triumphed 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0 on Centre Court, becoming only the second wildcard to reach the last four at the All England Club since Goran Ivanisevic 25 years ago. Ivanisevic went on to win the title that year.
Fery's Path to the Semi-Finals
Fery, who had previously defeated Cobolli at the Australian Open earlier this year, required two hours and 15 minutes to dispatch the Italian ninth seed. The win marks his second Grand Slam victory over Cobolli in 2025, having also beaten him in three sets at Melbourne Park. The Briton benefited from raucous home support, as the Wimbledon crowd rallied behind the last remaining British player in the tournament after a mass exodus in the early rounds.
Who Will Fery Face in the Semi-Finals?
Fery will face his toughest test yet in the form of Alexander Zverev, the second seed. Zverev recently won his first major title at Roland-Garros, defeating Cobolli in the final. The German advanced to the semi-finals by beating Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-2 6-2 on Court No.1. This is Zverev's first appearance in the Wimbledon semi-finals, having been stunned in the first round last year by Arthur Rinderknech.
Zverev has faced some challenges during this tournament, dropping sets against Alexander Blockx in the first round and Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round. Despite this, he has shown resilience and form to reach the last four.
Zverev on Fery
Speaking about his upcoming opponent, Zverev said: "I watched him [beat Cobolli in Australia]. I was very impressed back then already. He has a very clean technique and very clean groundstrokes. I thought he was a very good tennis player already back then. It's a surprise that he's in the semi-finals, but he deserves it. The wins that he had, the way he fought back in a couple of those matches, is great to see. It's a great story. I'm very happy to play him in the semifinals. I think it's going to be a great atmosphere. Of course, I know that 99% of the people will be cheering for him. But I also enjoy those kinds of atmospheres. I enjoy it when the energy is very high. For me, British crowds, the crowd here at Wimbledon, is always quite fair. They cheer loudly, energetically, but they are still fair. I look forward to that challenge."
What's at Stake
The semi-final clash between Fery and Zverev promises to be a compelling encounter, with Fery aiming to continue his fairytale run as a wildcard, while Zverev seeks to add a Wimbledon title to his recent French Open triumph. The match is scheduled for Friday, and the Centre Court crowd is expected to be firmly behind the British hopeful.
