Wimbledon: Cobolli suffers a heavy defeat against Fery; Paolini loses to Kostyuk
Flavio lost in three sets to the tournament’s surprise package, the player who entered on a wild card; the Tuscan player was defeated 6-3, 6-2 by the powerful Ukrainian, who advances to the semi-finals
A sensational result at Wimbledon: Arthur Fery, who entered the tournament on a wild card and was ranked 189th at the start of the year, has also beaten Flavio Cobolli to reach the semi-finals. A result that defied all expectations and sent the Centre Court crowd into raptures, as they could scarcely believe their favourite was prevailing over the Italian, fresh from his Roland Garros final. But even more surprising was the scoreline: 6-4, 7-6, 6-0. An outcome that speaks for itself regarding the course of the match played by a Cobolli devoid of the very trait for which we all know him and which accompanies him from match to match: his fighting spirit. It gradually faded away along with the effectiveness of his shots, his ability to anticipate the ball and his frenetic mobility. Flavio seemed almost resigned, certainly not aggressive, constantly allowing his opponent (who turns 24 on Sunday) to dictate the play; the latter certainly did everything he needed to (with the crowd’s ceaseless support). For this reason, he should not be denied credit for the victory: he committed few faults, was alert in his returns, and ready to attack as soon as a shorter ball presented itself for him to pounce on. After all, in the previous round he had beaten Grigor Dimitrov – we mustn’t forget that.
It’s a shame for Cobolli, though; it was a brilliant chance to reach the semi-finals (and he’d been playing his best tennis in the previous matches).
It’s all over for Jasmine Paolini too
Marta Kostyuk ended Jasmine Paolini’s run at Wimbledon and reached the semi-finals. The match ended 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 10 minutes, in the presence of the Queen, who was dressed in blue (in the front row) in the Royal Box. The 24-year-old Ukrainian, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros (where she lost to the tournament winner, Mirra Andreeva), made the most of her powerful serve and forehand, as well as her remarkable physical prowess. Jasmine never gave the impression that she could break down her opponent’s solidity; on her own service games – right up to 3-1 in the second set – the Ukrainian barely let the Italian get a look-in, conceding very few points. There were then some more evenly contested games, but the Tuscan never really came close to breaking the Ukrainian’s serve. That fact speaks volumes. Jasmine struggled most of all with Kostyuk’s powerful down-the-line forehands and winners, many of which she landed on her opponent’s second serve.
Paolini has still put in a fine performance in this tournament, following some very difficult months. She can build on this, starting with the Grand Slam that has brought her one of the greatest moments of her career (in 2024 she reached the final, coming within a whisker of victory alongside Barbora Krejcikova).
