Arthur Fery will face Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon 2026 semi-finals after the British wildcard thrashed Flavio Cobolli in straight sets to reach the last four, sparking boos from the Centre Court
Centre Court was filled with boos when Arthur Fery was announced to face Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon semi-finals. Fery delivered a commanding performance against world No.9 Flavio Cobolli, pulling off another remarkable upset in the quarter-finals.
The wildcard defeated the German in straight sets, continuing his extraordinary journey at SW19 with a 6-4, 7-6, 6-0 victory. The French-born 23 year old has become only the fourth British player to reach the last four since 2000, following Tim Henman, two-time champion Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie.
He is also just the second wildcard to make it to the semis, after 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic. Adding to the dreamlike story, Sunday’s final coincides with Fery’s 24th birthday as he dares to dream of making history.
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Fery was informed at the end of his post-match on-court interview that he would be facing reigning French Open champion Zverev on Friday, triggering an immediate chorus of boos from the crowd, reports the Mirror.
The young Brit simply smiled and remained silent as the interview concluded, while the fervent fans made it abundantly clear that Zverev can expect a fiercely partisan reception when the pair meet.
The Brit expressed on court: “It seems to get better and better every match. I just can’t believe it. It’s incredible playing on Centre Court for the second time, second win, I can’t believe it.
“I played Flavio earlier this year in Australia and I beat him. That was a boost of confidence and I knew that I could do it even though it’s my first time in the quarter-finals.
“He’s done it before in a Grand Slam but that gave me a little boost of confidence. I just kept going. I was very nervous beforehand but kept going until the finish line.
“I’m definitely not [calm] on the inside! That last game I felt emotions that I hadn’t experienced before in my life. I think it’s the same up there. It’s unbelievable to share it with those guys. It’s a great bunch of guys. I’m so happy.”
When asked about his plans for the evening and the next day to keep his mind off the pressure and stay focused ahead of his semi-final, Fery responded: “I don’t know, I’ve never been in this position before! I guess it’s going to be the first time and we’ll figure it out as we go.
“I’m just going to keep going. I’ve been doing a great job for the past 10 days and I’ll do the same thing and see where that takes me.”