Arthur Fery’s Wimbledon run ended in the men’s singles semi-finals as second-seeded Alexander Zverev won 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court. The first set reached a tie-break, where Zverev took it without dropping a point, then secured the match in straight sets. The result sent the German into the championship match and ended the British wild card’s bid to reach the final.
Fery, 23 and ranked No. 114, had made an exceptional run through the draw. He reached the last four after beating ninth-seeded Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 in the quarter-finals, following a five-set victory over Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round. Fery grew up about five minutes from the All England Club and played college tennis at Stanford University.
The Cobolli match brought Fery before a home crowd on Centre Court, with Queen Camilla among those watching from the Royal Box. After meeting her, Fery said: “It’s obviously an honor to play in front of her. Great to meet her. She had some really kind words to me at the end, as well.” His semi-final appearance put him two wins from the title and made him one of the lowest-ranked players to reach the men’s singles last four in the modern tournament era.
Zverev advanced to the semi-final after beating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the quarter-finals. He had also defeated Jiří Lehečka in the fourth round, 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Fery had been seeking to become the first wild card since Goran Ivanišević in 2001 to reach the Wimbledon men’s singles final; Zverev’s victory ended that possibility.
The other men’s semi-final paired defending champion Jannik Sinner with Novak Djokovic, with Sinner winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The result set up a final between Sinner and Zverev. Wimbledon’s men’s singles competition is one of four Grand Slam events, played on grass at the All England Club in London.
Fery’s five-set win over Dimitrov was a basic step in his campaign. A full account of that match is available in Fery’s five-set triumph over Dimitrov.
