From 114 In The World To Wimbledon Semi-Finalist: Fery Stuns Cobolli

British wildcard Fery stuns Cobolli to reach Wimbledon semi-finals

Fery stunned Cobolli in straight sets on Centre Court to join Murray, Henman, Taylor and Norrie as the only British men to reach the Wimbledon semis in the Open Era.

Arthur Fery continues fairytale Wimbledon run with straight-sets win over Cobolli...

British wildcard Arthur Fery is into the Wimbledon semi-finals after stunning Italian ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 on Wednesday. The 23-year-old is just the fourth wildcard in history to reach the men's singles final four at a Grand Slam.

Cobolli, the French Open runner-up, was Fery's highest-ranked opponent of the tournament. But in the heat of Centre Court, Fery was fearless again and completely outplayed him.

The moment. The celebration. The noise.

Arthur Fery is a Wimbledon semi-finalist. pic.twitter.com/ObXayNhdMD

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2026

Fery is the first wildcard to make the Wimbledon men's semi-finals since Goran Ivanisevic won the title as a wildcard back in 2001. Next up for him is a semi-final against second seed Alexander Zverev as he tries to match the Croat's fairytale run.

“It seems to get better and better every match, I can't believe it,” a stunned-looking Fery said on ‌court minutes after ending the contest with an ace.

“That last game I felt emotions that I haven't ‌experienced before in my life.”

From Unknown To Britain's New No.1

Arriving at Wimbledon ranked 114th in the world, Arthur Fery was a virtual unknown. Born in France to French parents, raised near Wimbledon, and a Stanford graduate, few in Britain knew his name before this fortnight. That has changed completely now.

His win over Cobolli makes him just the fifth British man in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, alongside Andy Murray, Tim Henman, Roger Taylor and Cameron Norrie. He'll also become British No.1 when the new rankings come out next week.

Queen Camilla applauded Fery from the Royal Box, while the Princess of Wales, Kate, had watched him play in an earlier round.

Fery also beat a clearly unwell Cobolli in the first round of the Australian Open this year. That was just his second Grand Slam match win, after he made the second round at Wimbledon last year.

The Italian came into the match in great form, and was supposed to end what the British press have called the “Fery-tale.”

Cobolli Cracks Under Pressure

Cobolli had the first opportunity to break at 3-3 in the opening set but let it slip. Serving to stay in the set at 4-5, he double-faulted and then missed a forehand, handing Fery the first set.

Fery jumped and pumped his fists as the crowd, baking in the intense heat, erupted in support.

Fery's parents, multi-millionaire Loic and former French player Olivia, watched from the stands as he bounced back after losing serve early in the second set. He turned up the pressure and cruised through the tiebreak, while Cobolli kept making mistakes to leave Fery one set from the semi-finals.

He'd already logged 14 hours on court just to get to the last eight, including two five-set marathons in the previous rounds. Despite that, Fery looked fresh and broke Cobolli right away to open the third set.

Even Andy Murray, a two-time champion, used to make the home crowd sweat at Wimbledon. Fery was different though - he gave them no drama this time. He kept his grip on the match from start to finish, and Cobolli had no answer to the intensity he brought.

Arthur Fery: Wimbledon Semi-Finalist 🥹#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/55Ataf4mEo

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 8, 2026

Nervous But Unstoppable

Cobolli had his final chance with two break points in the second game of the third set. Fery answered both with pure grit, chasing down everything and finishing with smashes after covering the whole court.

Nothing was going wrong for Fery. Even when a Cobolli backhand clipped the net cord and Fery slipped trying to adjust, he still managed to flick a winner and earn match point.

He sealed it with his eighth ace, dropped his racket, and collapsed onto the grass in disbelief.

“I played Flavio earlier this year and I beat him in Australia which was a boost of confidence,” Fery said. “I was very nervous before but I ⁠just kept going until the finish.”

Only three other men have reached a Grand Slam semi-final as wildcards. The list includes Jimmy ‌Connors at the 1991 US Open and Henri Leconte at the 1992 French Open.