Arthur Fery defeated Flavio Cobolli, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0, to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals where he will meet Alexander Zverev.
The British wild card had only won two Grand Slam main draw matches before the tournament began, but is now just two wins away from a maiden major title.
Arthur Fery has impressed many during his dream Wimbledon run, including the 1987 champion, Pat Cash.
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During BBC Radio 5 Live’s Wimbledon coverage, Cash identified Fery’s greatest strength ahead of his semi-final match.
Pat Cash says Arthur Fery is ‘as good as anybody’ at rallying from the back of the court
“I tell you what, we see some scenes in sport, don’t we? But this is something else,” said Cash.
“The way that he played today was absolutely extraordinary. Just tore apart a top-10 player, sure, he was below his level, but never gave him an inch the whole match.
“Wasn’t flustered at all today, was he? And also, the other two matches where he really should have lost, but he just hung in there. He’s very tough to put away; he scrambles balls back and makes the opponent play one more shot, and that was no more evident than today.
“[Flavio] Cobolli was trying to get onto his forehand and pound some balls, but it was only for a couple of games really, where it looked like he got the match under control, but he had to redline so many shots.
Arthur Fery vs Flavio Cobolli – Match stats
| Stats | Arthur Fery | Flavio Cobolli |
| Aces | 8 | 6 |
| Double faults | 1 | 2 |
| 1st Serve % | 62% | 60% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 78% | 71% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 65% | 34% |
| Break points | 5/9 | 1/4 |
| Net points | 22/29 | 13/23 |
| Unforced errors | 15 | 41 |
| Winners | 27 | 21 |
| Total points won | 102 | 76 |
“He’s not fazed by this, he’s seeing the ball, he’s moving incredibly well, he’s got a very good all-court game, he comes to the net, knows where to move around the net, knows where the shots are going to go.
“When it comes to rallying at the back of the court, he’s showing he’s as good as anybody.”
The Aussie continued, sharing just how much Fery’s composure has impressed him.
“He’s incredibly composed, for a wild card to come out here, play his second match on Centre Court, and to play like this…” said Cash.
“We talked about the other wild card, Goran Ivanisevic, he was in the final three times before that, so that’s really saying something that somebody can come out here, with this little experience and play so well.”
Goran Ivanisevic is the only wild card to have reached the Wimbledon final, although, as Cash rightly mentioned, he had finished as runner-up three times before his 2001 triumph.
Goran Ivanisevic’s record in Wimbledon finals (1-3)
- 1992 [LOSS] vs Andre Agassi, 7-6, 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 4-6
- 1994 [LOSS] vs Pete Sampras, 6-7, 6-7, 0-6
- 1998 [LOSS] vs Pete Sampras, 7-6, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6
- 2001 [WIN] vs Pat Rafter, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7
If Fery were to go and win the title, his victory would arguably be even more impressive than Ivanisevic’s 25 years ago.
Cash knew there was an opportunity for someone to make a deep run when the draw opened up, but admits he never thought it would be Fery.
“We talked about how this side of the draw opened up for somebody, I didn’t think it was going to be Arthur Fery!
“I’ve got to be perfectly honest, I don’t think anybody did, and even he would admit that himself.
“But he’s in the semi-final now, against a massive hitting player, it’s a different challenge for him, let’s see how he goes.”
Fery has played some talented players on his route to the final four, but has yet to meet anyone quite like Zverev.
Arthur Fery’s route to the Wimbledon semi-finals
- 1R [WIN] vs Damir Dzumhur, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
- 2R [WIN] vs Otto Virtanen, 5-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3
- 3R [WIN] vs Zizou Bergs, 2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6, 7-6
- 4R [WIN] vs Grigor Dimitrov, 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6
- QF [WIN] vs Flavio Cobolli, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0
The Briton will need to leave everything out on Centre Court if he is to stand a chance of beating the world number three.
Why Alexander Zverev may prove too much for Arthur Fery
Starting with the obvious, Fery has never beaten anyone as good as Zverev.
The 23-year-old has played a world number three once before, at Wimbledon three years ago, where he lost to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, 5-7, 4-6, 3-6.
And many of the issues he faced then are likely to resurface 1,101 days later.
Medvedev’s big serve and powerful ball striking troubled the youngster, and unfortunately for Fery, Zverev is likely to cause him the same problems.
Zverev has served exceptionally well at this year’s Championships, and hasn’t dipped below 70% first serves all tournament.
If he can maintain that consistency against a smaller opponent in Fery (5ft 9), he should secure his place in the Wimbledon final.
However, while all logic points towards a comfortable Zverev win, Fery has defied logic at every turn this past fortnight.
Counting him out is a risky game to play, and not one that Zverev, nor the fans watching on Centre Court and from home, should partake in.
