Arthur Fery has become the sole British representative in the Wimbledon singles draws after a gritty four-set victory over Finland's Otto Virtanen, and the exits of Katie Swan, Jacob Fearnley and Jan Choinski on the same day underscored just how difficult things have been for home players at SW19 this fortnight.
Fery, a 23-year-old wildcard ranked 114th in the world, rallied from a set down to defeat Virtanen 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-3 on Court 18, repeating the comeback formula he used against Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur in round one. The victory books him a third-round meeting with Belgian world number 37 Zizou Bergs and guarantees prize money of at least £185,000, along with a historic personal milestone: his first Grand Slam third round.
The achievement is particularly poignant given Fery grew up a short walk from the All England Club. Born near Paris to French parents, he moved to Wimbledon as a toddler, briefly represented France around age ten before committing fully to Britain, and eventually earned a tennis scholarship to Stanford University, where he studied science, technology and society. His mother Olivia is a former French Fed Cup player and his father Loic owns Ligue 1 club Lorient, making for one of the more colourful backstories on tour.
While Fery celebrated, his compatriots endured a miserable afternoon. Swan fell 6-1, 6-4 to Madison Keys, Fearnley was beaten 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 by Jaume Munar, and Frances Tiafoe eliminated Choinski 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. With 15 Britons losing in the first round, the worst such figure since 1988, it is the first time since Kyle Edmund in 2018 that a single British player has reached the third round across both singles draws.
TennisDraw users who backed Fery as a sneaky deep-run pick are looking very clever right now.
