LONDON (AP) — In Arthur Fery’s boyhood neighborhood, they could probably hear the cheers from a raucous Court 18.
Fery grew up just five minutes from Wimbledon.
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Arthur Fery of Britain, bottom, returns the ball to Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Arthur Fery of Britain eyes the ball as he prepares to return it to Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Arthur Fery of Britain celebrates a point against Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Arthur Fery of Britain reacts after winning against Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Arthur Fery of Britain reacts after winning against Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
On Saturday, the British wild card extended his improbable run into the fourth round at the All England Club with a 2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) victory over Zizou Bergs of Belgium.
Wimbledon itself calls it a “ Ferytale ” — after all, Fery did play in front of Princess Kate earlier in the week on the same court.
The 23-year-old Fery, who is ranked No. 114, has never been this far before at a Grand Slam tournament, and he's the only British player remaining in either men's or women's singles.
“A lot of first times today for me. Just so proud of how I handled everything. First five-setter (win), longest match that I’ve ever played, first time breaking into the top 100, first second week in a slam, all at home, five minutes from where I grew up,” Fery said. “It’s a great story for me.”
For Britain, too. Especially after the country's main hopes Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu both withdrew with injuries before the tournament started, and the 11 British players who played singles on the opening day Monday all lost.
Fery trailed 4-1 in both the fourth set and the decider but fought back, buoyed by the home crowd in a match that lasted 4 hours, 39 minutes. He was showered with shouts of “C'mon Arthur!”
“It's good to have a bit of banter in the crowd,” he said. “It’s good to see people having fun watching tennis. Coming to Wimbledon, it’s great.”
On the second match point in the 10-point fifth-set tiebreaker, Bergs returned into the net and Fery dropped to the grass on his back and spread his arms wide. On his feet moments later, he thrust both arms in celebration with the crowd.
“It's unbelievable to have support. It definitely helps me,” he said. “Clearly at the end of the fifth, the crowd played a huge part in that. I was really, really grateful to have them behind me.”
Fery is just the second British wild card in the Open era to reach the men's round of 16 at a major — after Andrew Foster reached the same point in 1993, according to the men's professional tour.
The French-born Fery played collegiately at Stanford and was an All-American in 2022 and 2023.
Earlier this week, he credited his Stanford experience as “a great mix between academics and a super-strong tennis program, as well.”
“I did three years there. I think it helped me mature, gave me a bit of time without too much pressure. Just develop personally more than tennis-wise,” said Fery, whose mother played in the 1991 French Open women's doubles draw.
Fery will next face Grigor Dimitrov, who is also a wild-card entry.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Arthur Fery of Britain, bottom, returns the ball to Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Arthur Fery of Britain eyes the ball as he prepares to return it to Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Arthur Fery of Britain celebrates a point against Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Arthur Fery of Britain reacts after winning against Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Arthur Fery of Britain reacts after winning against Zizou Bergs of Belgium in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
LONDON (AP) — Alexandra Eala didn't have the option of playing on grass courts growing up in the Philippines.
Instead, she used one that also doubled as a basketball court.
“There would be the basketball hoops, so I couldn’t really step back a lot because then I would hit the basketball hoop,” Eala said.
The 21-year-old Eala found Centre Court at Wimbledon a bit more accommodating Saturday when she beat defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-6 (9), 6-2 in the third round at the grass-court major and made some history in the process.
Eala is the first Filipino player, male or female, to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles tournament.
The left-handed Eala dropped to her knees and rolled onto her back after hitting a forehand winner on her third match point.
“It’s incredible to have my countrymen cheering me on and knowing that we’re all in this together,” she said in an on-court interview as she looked around at the Philippines flags.
“This goes out to them, this goes out to my family, this goes out to all the little girls with ruffled socks and chubby cheeks. It means the world,” said the 29th-seeded Eala, who saved two set points in the first-set tiebreaker.
The third-seeded Swiatek earned her first Wimbledon women’s title a year ago when she beat Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final.
“I felt like Alexandra was more brave in important moments,” Swiatek said Saturday. “In the tiebreak we both had many chances to close the set earlier, and it didn’t go my way.”
Eala, who has trained in Mallorca at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy, gained worldwide support last year on her breakthrough run to the Miami Open semifinals, which included an upset of Swiatek.
She next faces 13th-seeded Jasmine Paolini for a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Shortly before Swiatek's exit, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was upset in the third round by Elise Mertens 7-6 (4), 6-1.
At No. 2, Rybakina is the highest seed on the women’s side to be eliminated. Her loss ensures that Aryna Sabalenka — who faces Naomi Osaka in the fourth round on Sunday — will keep her No. 1 ranking after the tournament.
Belgium’s Mertens is the No. 25 seed at Wimbledon, where she’s won two doubles titles. She will next face 21st-seeded Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic.
In another upset, Madison Keys rallied to oust the sixth-seeded Anisimova 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-American contest on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
The 26th-seeded Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion, was asked how she'll celebrate the U.S. holiday.
“I have no plans,” she told the Centre Court crowd after her victory. “When you're not in the States, it's just kind of another day.”
Keys will next play ninth-seeded Linda Noskova.
Ashlyn Krueger, another American, has come through qualifying to reach the fourth round. She beat Ukraine's Daria Snigur 6-3, 6-2 and will face another Ukrainian — 12th-seeded Marta Kostyuk — for a spot in the quarterfinals.
The only American man to reach the last 16 is Taylor Fritz, who beat Lorenzo Sonego 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (5) on No. 2 Court. The sixth-seeded Fritz next faces Alexander Bublik, who beat American Frances Tiafoe in five sets.
Grigor Dimitrov outlasted Matteo Berrettini in another five-setter to set up a fourth-round match against fellow wild card Arthur Fery — the last British player left in either men's or women's singles.
French Open champion Alexander Zverev, the No. 2 seed, got past American Marcos Giron 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-4 to set up a fourth-round match against 13th-seeded Jiri Lehecka.
Ninth-seeded Flavio Cobolli — the runner-up at Roland Garros — overcame a slow start against Karen Khachanov to win 0-6, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2 and will face No. 5 seed Alex de Minaur in the fourth round.
Cobolli said he felt ill during the first set because he ate “a little bit too close from the match. Just wasn’t fine. I try to vomit in the first set. They give me some pills that helped me a lot.”
Serena Williams withdrew from her doubles match with sister Venus due to a right knee injury. The 44-year-old Serena was injured during her singles return earlier this week.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion said in an Instagram post that she was “heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Alexander Zverev of Germany returns the ball to Marcos Giron of the United States in their third round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates winning the third round women's singles match against Iga Swiatek of Poland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates winning the third round women's singles match against Iga Swiatek of Poland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates winning the third round women's singles match against Iga Swiatek of Poland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Iga Swiatek of Poland rests under her towel during the third round women's singles match against Alexandra Eala of the Philippines at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines eyes the ball during the third round women's singles match against Iga Swiatek of Poland at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Elise Mertens of Belgium returns the ball to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in their third round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan serves against Elise Mertens of Belgium in their third round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
