Arthur Fery’s remarkable Wimbledon dream continued in remarkable fashion on Wednesday as the British wildcard became only the second men’s singles wildcard in history to reach the Wimbledon semifinals, equaling the feat achieved only by Goran Ivanisevic during his memorable 2001 title triumph.The 23-year-old, who grew up just five minutes from the All England Club, delighted on Center Court by brushing aside ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 to keep alive one of the rarest home stories the Championships has witnessed.Ranked 114th in the world and needing a wildcard entry to compete, Fery’s magical run quickly earned the nickname “Ferytale” as Britain suddenly found itself with a real contender at home heading into the second week.
Fery joins Ivanisevic in Wimbledon folklore
The only former men’s wildcard to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon is Goran Ivanisevic, whose fairytale culminated in lifting the trophy in 2001. Fery now stands just two wins away from replicating one of the sport’s greatest underdog triumphs.“It gets better and better every match,” Fery felt after his victory. “I can’t believe it.”Backed by a deafening Center Court crowd and watched from Queen Camilla’s Royal Box, Fery produced one of the cleanest performances of her career. He scored just 15 unforced errors compared to Cobolli’s 41 and sealed the memorable win with an ace before falling on his back in celebration.“That last game, I felt emotions that I have never experienced in my life,” he admitted.The victory came after another memorable display on Center Court earlier in the week, when Roger Federer watched Fery beat Grigor Dimitrov in a five-set thriller.The royal support continued after the match as Queen Camilla congratulated the British star, while Princess Kate also praised his “amazing achievement” on social media.Fery, who turned 24 on the day of the men’s final, even hinted at a dream ending.“I told her it was my birthday on Sunday, so it would be great to play the Wimbledon final on my birthday,” he revealed after interviewing Queen Camilla.Standing in his way is second seed Alexander Zverev, who acknowledges the intimidating atmosphere that awaits him.“I know 99% of people will be happy for him,” Zverev said. “But I also enjoy such atmospheres.”
Other Wimbledon semifinalists confirmed:
Zverev booked his Wimbledon semifinal with a commanding 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over Taylor Fritz and will face Fery on Friday. The other men’s semifinal will feature the seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic against defending champion Jannik Sinner.In the women’s draw, Marta Kostyuk advanced to her first Wimbledon semifinal after defeating Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2. She will face young Czech Linda Noskova, who defeated Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-5 to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.The other women’s semifinals will see top contender Coco Gauff take on Karolina Muchova for a spot in Saturday’s championship match.