After twice going the distance, twice coming back from two sets and breaks down, twice winning match tiebreaks having used up much more than just nine lives, Arthur Fery took some pity on the nervous wrecks watching him at Wimbledon. His 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0 demolition of ninth seed Flavio Cobolli was no improbable comeback, no defiant, last-gasp raging against the dying of the light.
This was a clinic; a demonstration of Fery’s powers at their best. A star born under the fierce sunshine on Centre Court. He went toe-to-toe with the recent French Open runner-up in two sets and then dismantled him entirely in the third.
Nobody seemed more surprised than him, as he dropped his racquet and fell on his back, having served out nervelessly with two thunderous aces. In doing so he has become just the second wildcard to reach the semi-finals here; infamously, the only other to do so was 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic.
He had recovered his extraordinary composure and self-belief by the time he spoke to press later, saying contentedly: “I've always believed in myself and believed that I could be a top player in the world. Obviously a semi-finalist of Wimbledon is something else. I've taken it match by match. I haven't looked ahead. I've just played every match as it is. Yeah, here I am.”
And here to stay, it seems. From 114th in the world he is now up to around 36th in the live rankings; a morose Cobolli said afterwards that when Fery beat him in the Australian Open first round this January, “I felt that his level wasn't from a guy that he's outside from top 100. Now I think is close to, I don't know, 50. 36, even better. I think he deserves it.” Having seen off the ninth seed Fery will feel no fear against second seed Alexander Zverev, his opponent in the last four.
This was a clinic; a demonstration of Fery’s powers at their best. A star born under the fierce sunshine on Centre Court. He went toe-to-toe with the recent French Open runner-up in two sets and then dismantled him entirely in the third.
Nobody seemed more surprised than him, as he dropped his racquet and fell on his back, having served out nervelessly with two thunderous aces. In doing so he has become just the second wildcard to reach the semi-finals here; infamously, the only other to do so was 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic.
He had recovered his extraordinary composure and self-belief by the time he spoke to press later, saying contentedly: “I've always believed in myself and believed that I could be a top player in the world. Obviously a semi-finalist of Wimbledon is something else. I've taken it match by match. I haven't looked ahead. I've just played every match as it is. Yeah, here I am.”
And here to stay, it seems. From 114th in the world he is now up to around 36th in the live rankings; a morose Cobolli said afterwards that when Fery beat him in the Australian Open first round this January, “I felt that his level wasn't from a guy that he's outside from top 100. Now I think is close to, I don't know, 50. 36, even better. I think he deserves it.” Having seen off the ninth seed Fery will feel no fear against second seed Alexander Zverev, his opponent in the last four.
4 months ago
