Wimbledon: Arthur Ferry’s fairy tale makes history as hometown hero joins exclusive wildcard club with Goran Ivanisevic | Tennis News
Arthur Fery’s extraordinary Wimbledon dream continued in sensational fashion on Wednesday as the British wildcard became just the second men’s singles wildcard in history to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, equaling a feat achieved only by Goran Ivanisevic during his memorable title run in 2001.The 23-year-old, who was born just five minutes away from the All England Club, delighted Center Court with a 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 victory over ninth seed Flavio Coboli, continuing one of the most remarkable home stories the tournament has witnessed.Ferry, ranked 114th in the world and in need of a wildcard entry, quickly earned the nickname “The Ferry Story” for his magical performance as Great Britain suddenly found themselves with a genuine home contender in week two.
Ferry and Ivanisevic became Wimbledon legends together
The only previous men’s wildcard to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals was Goran Ivanisevic, whose fairy tale reached its peak when he lifted the trophy in 2001. Ferry is now just two wins away from replicating one of the most iconic underdog victories in the sport.“Every game it gets better and better,” Ferry enthused after the win. “I can’t believe it.”Backed by a deafening Center Court crowd and with Queen Camilla looking on from the royal box, Ferry delivered one of the cleanest performances of his career. He committed just 15 unforced errors compared to Coboly’s 41 and sealed the memorable victory with an ace before falling to the ground in celebration.“The last game, I felt emotions I’d never experienced in my life,” he admitted.The win follows another memorable appearance on Center Court earlier in the week, when Roger Federer watched Ferry beat Grigor Dimitrov in a thrilling five-set match.The royal support continued after the game, with Queen Camilla congratulating the British star and Kate taking to social media to praise his “fantastic achievement”.Ferry, who turns 24 on the day of the men’s final, even hinted at a dream ending.“I told her it’s my birthday on Sunday so it would be great to play the Wimbledon final on my birthday,” he revealed after speaking to Queen Camilla.Standing in his way is second seed Alexander Zverev, who admits the intimidating atmosphere awaits him.“I know 99 percent of the people will be cheering for him,” Zverev said. “But I also like that atmosphere.”
Other Wimbledon semi-finalists confirmed
Zverev defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the Wimbledon semifinals and will face Ferry on Friday. The other men’s semi-final will feature the seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic The opponent is defending champion Jannik Sinner.In the women’s draw, Marta Kostyuk defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time. She will face Czech teenager Linda Noskova, who defeated Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-5 to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.The other women’s semifinal will pit top contender Coco Gauff against Karolina Muchova for a spot in Saturday’s championship game.
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