Wimbledon 2026: Arthur Fery fights into third round at Wimbledon for the first time
• 3 minute read
Arthur Fery’s memorable summer on the grass continues, after he beat Finland’s Otto Virtanen to reach the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
In a first ATP Tour-level meeting between two of the grass court season’s most consistent players this year, it was Fery who found his best tennis when it mattered - coming back from a set down to defeat Virtanen 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-3 in front of a home crowd on Court 18.
Fery faced just one break point throughout the match and converted three of his own to fight past the Finn in just over three hours.
The win sees Fery become the fourth British wild card to reach the third round at Wimbledon since 2000 - joining Andy Murray (2005, 2021), James Ward (2015) and Liam Borady (2022, 2023).
“Incredible emotions,” Fery said following his win. “Such a tough match - after the first two sets I could see it lasting a while. I’m so happy with how I was able to keep my emotions in check and just keep going. I’m so happy to reach the third round.”
For Fery, it marks the latest chapter in what has been a standout summer on the grass.
The 23-year-old’s semi-final run at the Lexus Birmingham Open was a sign of what was to come over the coming weeks. Arriving as a wild card at the HSBC Championships, he went on to make his first ATP quarter-final thanks to wins over fellow Brit Toby Samuel and Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
The Wimbledon-native edged a tight three-set match against Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga in the first round at the Lexus Eastbourne Open before bowing out in the following round to Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
“It’s an accumulation of work, practice and matches," he added when speaking about reaching this new milestone. "I was playing well at the start of the year in Australia and this grass season I’ve been playing well and having good results. I feel really comfortable on the grass."
It was a tough challenge ahead for Fery heading into the second round clash. Virtanen is a former grass court champion having won the Lexus Birmingham Open title last year, and has been in red-hot form once again this summer, making finals in Birmingham and Nottingham.
Virtanen caused one of the upsets of the tournament so far in the opening round - knocking out world No.5 Ben Shelton in five sets and showed signs of that form in the early stages of his meeting against Fery.
The Brit had four chances to edge ahead in the opening set but was unable to capitalise on any of them. Meanwhile, Virtanen made the most of his only opportunity, breaking the Brit at 5-5 before serving out the set.
Both players remained rock solid on serve in the second, with Fery winning 88% of points behind his first delivery (23/26) and Virtanen 78% (18/23) to escape facing any break points and take us to a tie-break.
There, the Brit let slip a 3-1 lead as Virtanen battled back to level at 3-3, but the 23-year-old quickly regained control, sending a passing shot beyond the 6'4 Finn before sealing the set with a deep backhand that drew out an error.
Fuelled by confidence, Fery continued to apply the pressure throughout the third and fourth sets - breaking a further three times before setting up the chance to serve for the match.
There, Fery sent a blistering backhand winner down the line - his 43rd winner of the match - to secure the best Grand Slam result of his career and send the British fans into a frenzy on Court 18.
In the next round, he'll face reigning Lexus Eastbourne Open champion Zizou Bergs.
Later today, Jacob Fearnley and Jan Choinski will bid to join Fery in the third round as they take on Spain's Jaume Munar and 17th seed Frances Tiafoe respectively.
