​British wildcard Arthur Fery extended his sensational Wimbledon run into a men’s semi-final against French Open champion Alexander Zverev, as Marta Kostyuk booked a women’s last-four clash with Linda Noskova on Wednesday. World number 114 Fery overwhelmed Roland Garros runner-up Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 to become the first Wimbledon wildcard to reach the gentlemen’s last four since Goran Ivanisevic lifted the title in 2001. The achievement marked a rare milestone, with Fery just two wins away from emulating Ivanisevic and becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon since Andy Murray in 2016.
“Every match just gets better and better. It’s incredible. I can’t believe it,” Fery said, soaking up the fervent support from a partisan Centre Court crowd. He becomes the third-lowest ranked man since 1985 to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, following world number 237 Vladimir Voltchkov in 2000 and the world number 125 Ivanisevic in 2001. Turning 24 on Sunday, Fery revealed he was congratulated after the match by Britain’s Queen Camilla, who watched from the Royal Box. “I told her it’s my birthday on Sunday, so it would be amazing to play the Wimbledon final on my birthday,” he said.
Zverev, meanwhile, cruised to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory over sixth seed Taylor Fritz, securing his first semi-final at the All England Club and snapping a seven-match losing streak against the American. The German second seed had never previously advanced beyond the Wimbledon last 16 in nine visits to southwest London. “I’m extremely happy to be in the semi-finals, especially against Taylor, whom I hadn’t beaten in two years,” he said. Zverev is only the third German man in the Open era to reach the last four at all the majors, following Boris Becker and Michael Stich—Germany’s previous Wimbledon champion in 1991. “It’s a dream come true to finally play well at Wimbledon; I’ve waited a long time for this,” he added. The 29-year-old Dane will head into Friday’s semi-final as the favorite against Fery, with the winner set to meet either reigning champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic in the final.
On the women’s side, Kostyuk advanced to her second consecutive Grand Slam semi-final by beating Jasmine Paolini in 69 minutes on Centre Court, 6-3, 6-2. She now faces Czech ninth seed Noskova on Thursday for a place in her first major final. “I was here nine years ago as a spectator watching Roger Federer, and to return here as a player is unreal,” Kostyuk said, reflecting on her view of the arena. She walked past the wall of honour, stood beside it, and paused for a moment to take it in. The 12th seed has lost only one of her last 22 matches—the semi-final defeat to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva at the French Open—as she eyes a potential first major final. Noskova, seeking her first major final, will aim to continue her strong form after a clinical display in the quarter-finals.