Arthur Fery becomes 1st British wild card to reach Wimbledon quarterfinals in professional era

LONDON (AP) — Arthur Fery used to come to Wimbledon when he was a kid to watch Roger Federer on Centre Court.

He grew up only five minutes away from the All England Club.

On Monday, the tables were turned when Federer was in attendance watching Fery on the sport's most famous court as he became the first British wild card to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam in the professional era (since 1968).

Fery beat fellow wild Grigor Dimitrov — a former top-five player — 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7).

When it was over Fery, dropped his racket to the grass and held his hands up in disbelief.

“We’ve got probably the greatest of all time watching in the front row over there,” Fery said, nodding in Federer’s direction. “And now playing here in front of all you guys, having the support and winning, it’s unbelievable.”

Fery’s quarterfinal opponent will be Flavio Cobolli, who beat Alex de Minaur.

Fery beat Cobolli in straight sets in the first round of this year’s Australian Open after coming through qualifying.

“(In) Australia I was sick,” Cobolli said. “Of course, Arthur is amazing player, but that match I couldn’t play.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria plays a return during the men's singles fourth round match against Arthur Fery of Britain at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 6, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Arthur Fery of Britain celebrates winning against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in their fourth round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Arthur Fery of Britain plays a return during the men's singles fourth round match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 6, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Former tennis player Roger Federer of Switzerland stands in the Royal Box on day eight at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 6, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Arthur Fery of Britain celebrates winning the men's singles fourth round match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 6, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Heat wave-breaking rain caused part of the roof of a New Jersey warehouse store to collapse Monday, sending a shopper, a cart and tables of baked goods skidding through rushing water.

Two people were briefly trapped in debris at the BJ’s Wholesale Club in Ocean Township but managed to escape, and no injuries were reported, according to the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.

Flooding rains were reported in parts of New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey as rounds of storms moved through the area Monday, breaking a heat wave that gripped much of the area last week.

On Sunday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned about heatstroke and shared locations of pools and cooling centers. By Monday, he was urging people to leave basement apartments immediately if they saw water rising in their homes.

Heavy rain stranded cars on flooded highways across northern New Jersey and sloshed water into businesses and at least one hospital.

“Nothing too serious. They have us running from call to call,” said Lakewood Police Capt. Leroy Marshall.

The rain and storms broke the heat dome that settled over much of the Northeast last week.

LaGuardia Airport in New York set a record high Thursday of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). Low temperatures in many places barely made it below 80 degrees F (26.7 C), preventing people from cooling off even at night.

The temperature at LaGuardia hovered just below 70 degrees F (21.1 C) Monday with the rain.

Officials in New Jersey were investigating at least 29 deaths last week that were possibly heat-related. The people were found dead on the street or in homes without air conditioning. They ranged in ages from their 30s to their 80s, New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Raynard Washington said.

Autopsies and other investigations will be needed before the deaths are officially blamed on the heat, Washington said.

Other states have not announced possible deaths from the heat.

Severe storms moved from Michigan to the East Coast as the heat wave broke over the weekend. About 400,000 people remained without power across the country, most from the storm damage, according to poweroutage.com.

A trash can overflows with water at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

People take cover from the heat under umbrellas as they wait for a parade of tall ships and flyovers in Weehawken, N.J., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Vendors distribute ice at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Friday, July 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)