Britain’s Fery causes first shock of Australian Open

The first surprise of the Australian Open was caused by the defeat of Italian 20th seed Flavio Cobolli by British qualifier Arthur Fery, who also claimed another notable Grand Slam victory.

Fery, 23, won 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 6-1 in a scorching Melbourne, matching his biggest win of his career, having previously defeated 20th seed Alexei Popyrin at Wimbledon last year.

Cobolli ran off the court at the end of the opening set for a toilet break, having a stomach issue from the beginning.

Fery, who is ranked 185th in the world, joked afterward, “It seems I like drawing 20th seeds at Grand Slams.”

“I enjoy playing on big courts and stages.”

After going off court, Cobolli, 23, requested a timeout from the medical staff after going 3-0 up in the third set, and he then requested a refill of the supply.

The Londoner, who was raised close to the All England Club in Wimbledon, played smart and aggressively, moving Cobolli around the court to further punish him.

Fery’s serve, which is 5 feet 9 inches tall, shows that he has plenty of venom in his groundstrokes as he fires forehands past his opponent, despite lacking the punch of some opponents.

As Fery clinched the victory, producing a number of double faults to tie the match 5-1 in the third set, the body language of a desolate-looking Cobolli revealed how much he was struggling.

Given his comfortable cushion, Fery was without a doubt serving out for his third career Grand Slam victory, not his third at the top of the standings.