Britain's Fery stuns Dimitrov, Paolini into Wimbledon quarters
- Last updated: July 7, 2026 | 09:51
Britain's Arthur Fery defeated fellow wildcard Grigor Dimitrov in a dramatic five-set match to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday, after Jasmine Paolini halted Alexandra Eala's run in the last 16.
French Open champion Alexander Zverev was made to wait to book a place in his first Wimbledon quarter-final, leading 6-4, 7-5, 3-3 when play was halted by the 2200 GMT curfew.
Fery earlier dug deep, with the help of an increasingly partisan home crowd, to clinch a 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/7) victory over Bulgarian veteran Dimitrov on Centre Court.
"First time on this court, five sets against an absolute legend of the game. I grew up five minutes from here, coming to watch matches on this court. It's unbelievable," said Fery, who went to school in Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old will face ninth seed Flavio Cobolli next as he bids to become only the fifth British man to reach the semi-finals in the Open era.
Fery, the lowest-ranked man to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Nick Kyrgios in 2014, needed another five-setter to progress after an epic third-round win against Zizou Bergs in the longest match of the event so far.
The world number 114 is set to break into the ATP top 100 for the first time after the tournament.
It was more last-16 heartbreak for former world number three Dimitrov, though, after he was forced to retire injured when leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets at the same stage last year.
"Leaving the court with a loss again, it's not so happy," said Dimitrov, now ranked 146th after only playing one more match last year after Wimbledon.
"But I'm going to choose to see it as a happy moment."
Cobolli into quarters
Cobolli continued his strong form by reaching a second straight Wimbledon quarter-final with an impressive 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur.
The Italian lost the French Open final to Zverev last month and could meet the German again in the semis.
Second seed Zverev will finish his fourth-round tie against Czech 13th seed Lehecka on Tuesday, with a match against Taylor Fritz up for grabs.
Zverev was on track for victory against Lehecka in front of a sparse late-night crowd but could not get the job done before the curfew.
Fritz, a semi-finalist last year, passed a tricky assignment against flamboyant Kazakh Alexander Bublik on Court One with flying colours.
The sixth seed dispatched 10th seed Bublik 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-4 to reach the last eight for the fourth time in five years.
Paolini battles past Eala
Italian 13th seed Paolini edged out Iga Swiatek's conqueror Eala with a gritty 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory on Centre Court, reaching her first Grand Slam quarter-final since losing the 2024 All England Club final.
Paolini will next face Ukrainian 12th seed Marta Kostyuk, who saw off qualifier Ashlyn Krueger in straight sets.
It marks a return to form for Paolini, who has struggled this year and appeared on the verge of a first-round exit last week when she lost her opening set of the tournament 6-0 to world number 195 Robin Montgomery.
"After the first set in the first round I was like 'Okay, it can only go better'... point by point, game by game, I was feeling better," said Paolini, who was also the runner-up at the French Open two years ago.
The 21-year-old Eala enjoyed a history-making tournament, becoming the first player from the Philippines to reach the third and fourth rounds of a major in the Open era.
But she could not extend her fairytale run into the last eight.
Belgian 25th seed Elise Mertens backed up her surprise last-32 win over second seed Elena Rybakina by defeating Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-4.
Mertens' maiden Wimbledon quarter-final will be against Czech ninth seed Linda Noskova, who beat Madison Keys.
Agence France-Presse