Daijiworld Media Network - London
London, Jul 10: Alexander Zverev produced a dominant display to defeat British wildcard Arthur Fery 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 on Friday, securing his first-ever Wimbledon final appearance and moving within one victory of back-to-back Grand Slam titles.
The second seed overcame a competitive opening set before taking complete control of the semifinal on Centre Court, silencing the partisan home crowd with an authoritative performance.
Fresh from claiming his maiden Grand Slam crown at the French Open last month, Zverev has now reached his fifth major final overall and his first at the All England Club. The victory also extended his winning streak in Grand Slam matches to 13.
Speaking after the match, the German said reaching the Wimbledon final was especially meaningful because it had long been the major where he had struggled most.
"This is an incredible feeling. Wimbledon has always been the Grand Slam where I found it hardest to succeed, and now I'm playing in the final. I'm proud of my team and everyone who has supported me. We have one more match to play," Zverev said.
Fery, 23, enjoyed a memorable run to the last four and initially matched the German stride for stride. After recovering from an early service break in the opening set, the British player forced a tie-break with energetic shot-making and relentless court coverage.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the breaker as Zverev raced through it 7-0, capitalising on a series of unforced errors from his opponent.
The German elevated his level further in the second set, serving superbly and striking 12 winners while never facing a break point. Two service breaks helped him establish a commanding lead before he sealed the contest with another decisive break midway through the third set, wrapping up victory in two hours and 14 minutes.
With the win, Zverev became only the third German man to reach a Wimbledon singles final after Boris Becker and Michael Stich. It also marks his finest performance at the grass-court major, having never advanced beyond the fourth round before this year's tournament.
The 29-year-old has dropped just two sets throughout the championships and is set to return to World No. 2 when the ATP rankings are updated on Monday, his first appearance in the top two since May last year.
Zverev has also joined Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev as only the third player in the Open Era to reach the next Grand Slam final immediately after winning a maiden major title. Victory on Sunday would also make him just the seventh man in the Open Era to complete the French Open-Wimbledon double in the same season.
He will now take on either defending champion Jannik Sinner or seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic in Sunday's championship match.
Despite the defeat, Arthur Fery enjoyed a breakthrough fortnight that transformed his career. Entering Wimbledon ranked No. 114, the British player defeated Damir Dzumhur, Otto Virtanen, Zizou Bergs, Grigor Dimitrov and Flavio Cobolli to become only the fifth British man in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.
His impressive campaign has lifted him 78 places to a career-high live ranking of No. 36 and earned him prize money of £900,000—more than his total career earnings before this year's tournament.