Daijiworld Media Network – London

London, Jul 9: British wildcard Arthur Fery continued his dream run at Wimbledon 2026 by defeating ninth seed Flavio Cobolli in straight sets to become the first men's wildcard in 25 years to reach the semi-finals of the Championships.

The 23-year-old, ranked No. 114 in the world, produced a dominant display on Centre Court to beat Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 on Wednesday and secure his place in the last four.

Fery's achievement makes him only the second men's wildcard in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, joining Goran Ivanisevic, who went on to win the title as a wildcard in 2001.

The Briton has been one of the standout performers of this year's Championships. Earlier in the tournament, he stunned former finalist Grigor Dimitrov before overcoming Cobolli in commanding fashion.

Born in Sevres, France, on July 12, 2002, Fery moved to London as an infant and grew up in Wimbledon, just minutes away from the All England Club. He attended King's College School before opting for college tennis in the United States, enrolling at Stanford University in 2020.

During his three seasons at Stanford, Fery established himself as one of the country's top collegiate players. He became a two-time ITA All-American, was named the 2023 Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year, and rose to No. 1 in the national collegiate singles rankings in 2022—the first Stanford player to achieve the feat since Bob Bryan in 1998. He also compiled an impressive 58-16 singles record during his collegiate career.

Earlier in the tournament, Fery described competing at Wimbledon as a "full-circle moment", recalling his childhood spent watching matches from the stands.

Now, the local favourite who grew up just minutes from Centre Court is one win away from reaching his maiden Wimbledon final, capping one of the most remarkable breakthrough campaigns of the tournament.