Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Arthur Ferry – Britain’s last remaining hope in the singles – kept his Wimbledon dream alive as he cruised to a thrilling five-set win over Grigor Dimitrov to reach the quarter-finals.
Ferry, who would climb into the ATP top 100, was aiming to become the first British wild card, male or female, to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in the Open era.
He beat 35-year-old Dimitrov – a semi-finalist at the All England Club in 2014 – 7-5 3-6 4-6 6-4 7-6 (10-7) in a classic encounter on Center Court.
“Where do I start? I have no words right now. I’ll do my best. It’s incredibly hard to put into words what I felt on the tennis court. The support was amazing,” Ferri said on Center Court.
“First time on this court, five sets against an absolute legend of the game. I grew up five minutes from here. I grew up watching matches on this court.”
He added: “We’ve probably seen the greatest player of all time from the front row (Roger Federer). And now to be here playing in front of all of you, having the support and winning, it’s incredible.”
The 23-year-old entered the tournament as a wild card ranked 114, has just two Grand Slam wins to his name and has yet to win a five-set match.
Now he has won two in a row from a seemingly hopeless position after defeating the Bulgarian big-hitter.
After trailing Zizoo Bergs 4-1 in both the fourth and fifth sets on Saturday, Ferri was broken twice in the fourth here but roused himself brilliantly to face the Italian ninth seed and 2026 French Open finalist. Flavio Coboliwhom he defeated at the Australian Open.
After all the doom and gloom surrounding British tennis to start the fortnight, Ferry’s run was quite the plot twist, and the Center Court crowd roared their new hero.
“That was the story of the tournament for me. I was really close to losing in my last round,” added Ferry. “Just try to keep fighting, try to keep a good attitude.
“I’ve been playing really well with my back against the wall and it showed today.
“I couldn’t imagine it,” he added. “Now to win four games, to be in the quarters, that’s my dream.”
His victory made him the first British wild card to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam in the open era, joining Andy Murray, Tim Henman, Cameron Norrie, Roger Taylor and Greg Rusedski as home men’s members of the Wimbledon last-eight club.
TAPE STORY: Dimitrov vs Ferry
Ferry will face Coboli in the quarter finals
Flavio Cobolli joked that he needed a room to stay in for the rest of Wimbledon after beating Alex de Minaur to reach the quarter-finals.
Cobley kept his composure to book another quarter-final place with a win over Alex de Minaur and joked that his father would have to book a longer stay in London next year.
The popular Koboli delighted the Court One crowd with some impressive shots in the hot conditions and failed to allow two stoppages to treat the visitors as he cruised to a 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 victory.
Cobley, the French Open runner-up, offered his own water to a member of the crowd and later asked during his on-court interview if anyone had a spare room after being a tenant in the house he was staying in for the first week after the championships.
Coboli, who is cheering for Portugal at the World Cup, said: “My grandfather helped us find a solution for tonight, but we find solutions for the whole week, I hope.
“An Italian family gave us all their houses here in Wimbledon, so that’s really cool. I’ll thank them when I see them.”
He later added: “Today I found a way for a high level, I don’t know how much I played, but for all the matches. I’m proud and happy to reach the second quarter-final in a row here at Wimbledon. It means a lot to me.
“I played here on court one for the first time. The feeling on the court was incredible. I love playing there. The sound with the ball was amazing and the feeling was amazing.”
Ella’s dream run ends
Jasmine Paolini (left) hugs Alex Ila after winning in three sets
Jasmine Paolini Alexandra Eller ended a dream Wimbledon run and dashed the hopes of a nation.
Ila’s journey to the fourth round, after his shock victory over defending champion Iga Suitek, captured the imagination of almost the entire population of 120 million in the Philippines.
Watch parties were held at sports arenas across the country for thousands of fans to cheer on the 21-year-old, who broke new ground for his nation by winning a match here.
But the teams eventually fell flat as it was 13th seed Paolini, watched by Formula One star and fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli, who steered his way into the quarter-finals after a 6-4 4-6 6-3 win.
Watch the US Open from 30 August to 13 September, on Sky Sports or live Stream with NOW And The Sky Sports appSky Sports is giving subscribers access to more than 50 per cent of live games at no extra cost this year. Learn more here.
