Fery keeps Britain believing ahead of Zverev showdown in Wimbledon semi-final

LONDON, July 8 : British wildcard Arthur Fery continued his unlikely Wimbledon adventure with a trip to the semi-finals where he faces German second seed Alexander Zverev, who also wasted no time reaching uncharted territory at the All England Club on Wednesday.

After Novak Djokovic's late-night five-set epic on Tuesday, the remaining quarter-finalists appeared keen to conserve energy in the midst of a heatwave as they raced through their matches on the famous lawns of southwest London.

Local favourite Fery became only the fourth male wildcard to reach the last four at a Grand Slam as the 23-year-old dismissed Italian ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0 to progress at a venue that is quite literally his backyard.

"I've always believed in myself and believed that I could be a top player in the world," Fery told reporters, explaining that he has not left his bubble despite the national significance of his achievement growing.

"Obviously, a semi-finalist of Wimbledon is something else. I've taken it match by match. I haven't looked ahead. I've just played every match as it is. Yeah, here I am."

ZVEREV CLEARS MAJOR WIMBLEDON HURDLE

As the French-born Fery was writing his name into folklore, French Open champion Zverev cleared a big hurdle in his bid for back-to-back Grand Slam titles by snapping a lengthy losing run against an ailing Taylor Fritz with a 6-4 6-4 6-2 win.

"I think winning Roland Garros definitely helps for sure. There's no question about it," Zverev said about his newfound confidence after winning a first match in eight meetings with fellow big-server Fritz.

"I changed my game a bit for grass (and) it's working quite well ... this year feels a bit different. Of course, I'm pleased about that."

FRITZ CAUGHT OFF