Wimbledon: Arthur Fery's fairytale makes history as hometown hero joins Goran Ivanisevic in exclusive wild-card club
Arthur Fery’s remarkable Wimbledon dream continued in sensational fashion on Wednesday as the British wildcard became only the second men's singles wildcard in history to reach the Wimbledon semifinals, matching a feat achieved only by Goran Ivanisevic during his unforgettable title-winning run in 2001.The 23-year-old, who grew up just five minutes from the All England Club, delighted Centre Court by brushing aside ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 to keep alive one of the most extraordinary home stories the Championships have witnessed.Ranked No. 114 in the world and requiring a wildcard entry to compete, Fery's magical run has quickly earned the nickname "Ferytale" as Britain suddenly finds itself with a genuine home contender deep into the second week.Fery joins Ivanisevic in Wimbledon folkloreThe only previous men's wildcard to reach the Wimbledon semifinals was Goran Ivanisevic, whose fairytale culminated in lifting the trophy in 2001.
Fery now stands just two victories away from emulating one of the sport's most iconic underdog triumphs."It gets better and better every match," an emotional Fery said after his victory. "I just can't believe it."Backed by a deafening Centre Court crowd and watched from the Royal Box by Queen Camilla, Fery produced one of the cleanest performances of his career.
He struck just 15 unforced errors compared to Cobolli's 41 and sealed the memorable victory with an ace before collapsing onto his back in celebration."That last game, I felt emotions that I hadn't experienced before in my life," he admitted.The victory came after another memorable Centre Court appearance earlier in the week, when Roger Federer watched Fery defeat 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 "fantastic achievement" on social media.Fery, who turns 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 speaking with Queen Camilla.Standing in his way is second seed Alexander Zverev, who acknowledged the intimidating atmosphere awaiting him."I know that 99% of the people will be cheering for him," Zverev said.
"But I also enjoy those kind of atmospheres."Other Wimbledon semifinalists confirmedZverev booked his Wimbledon semifinal with a commanding 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Taylor Fritz and will face Fery on Friday. The other men's semifinal will feature 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 take on Czech youngster Linda Noskova, who beat Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-5 to reach her maiden Grand Slam semifinal.The other women's semifinal will see top contender Coco Gauff face Karolina Muchova for a place in Saturday's championship match.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.