‘My most proud day’ – GB’s Fery upsets 20th seed Popyrin at Wimbledon

Wimbledon 2025

Venue: All England Club, June 30 – 13 .

World number 461 Arthur Fery, the wildcard of the British tennis world, described his incredible upset over 20th seed Alexei Popyrin on the opening day of Wimbledon as “the most proud day” of his career.

The 22-year-old defeated Masters 1000 champion Popyrin 6-4 6-1 4-6 6-4 to advance to the second round. The student attended school close to the historic venue.

Fery’s only two previous attempts to get past the first round were the first round, but he had already fallen short of the top 400 due to injury.

Next up is Luciano Darderi, an Italian who is ranked 59th.

Fery remarked, “It’s probably my most gratifying day in my tennis career.”

“It’s fantastic, and I’m hoping to keep going and stay healthy for the rest of the year.”

After Oliver Tarvet defeated Leandro Riedi on his Wimbledon debut, Fery’s victory came as a Brit’s record-breaking win in the men’s draw.

The first round of the Wimbledon men’s and women’s main draw featured 23 British players, the most in 41 years.

Cameron Norrie, the former British no 1 and Billy Harris, the 151th person to advance, won the tournament for the first time.

However, wildcards Oliver Crawford and Henry Searle, the country’s second-largest, were eliminated.

Dusan Lajovic of Serbia defeated him 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the final match of his career. Harris, 33, qualified for the main draw on ranking for the first time since being a wildcard last year.

Next, he faces Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

Fearnley was defeated by Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in the first round, which saw his Wimbledon career come to an end.

Fearnley, 23, had never lost a Grand Slam first-round match before, but his 18-year-old opponent outclassed him 6-4 6-1 7-6 (7-5).

Fonseca won his first ATP Tour title in February with the Argentina Open, which was his second victory on grass, but he has impressed with his impressive displays this year. He defeated Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open in January and won the Australian Open in February.

Fearnley has recently experienced a meteoric rise, rising from within the top 500 a year prior to being ranked 51st in the world at this event.

On his way to securing three break points, he had a good overhead volley that had the potential to give him the first set advantage.

Fonseca, who claimed the break himself and served the first set, took the next eight points in a row to turn things around.

In the middle of the afternoon, Norrie’s performance was at its best, but he overcame the difficult circumstances to defeat veteran Spanish tennis player Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

The 29-year-old, who is currently British number one, defeated Jack Draper at Wimbledon last year and had previously advanced to the semi-finals, but after that his form deteriorated and he almost lost.

However, with his first win on the grass this year, he has regenerated on the grass and kept that momentum.

Norrie next faces Frances Tiafoe, the 12th seed, in the semifinals, saying, “I wanted to enjoy playing Wimbledon once more.”