Australian Open 2026: Arthur Fery causes first shock at Melbourne Park by beating 20th seed Flavio Cobolli

British qualifier Arthur Fery claimed another important Grand Slam scalp when he created the first shock by beating Italian 20th seed Flavio Cobolli on day one of the Australian Open.

Fery, 23, achieved the biggest win of his career at Wimbledon last year when he beat 20th seed Alexei Popyrin against a sweaty Melbourne 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 6-1.

Cobolli was struggling physically from the start with a stomach problem and was running off the court for a toilet break at the end of the opening set.

Fery, who is ranked 185th in the world, later joked, “Apparently I enjoy being ranked 20th in the Grand Slams.” he said.

“I love playing on big courts and big stages.”

23-year-old Cobolli took the electrolyte tablets given by the doctor after going off the court and asked the medical team to take a break again after falling behind 3-0 in the third set.

Still, the 185th-ranked Fery deserves huge praise for his approach to the main draw at a Grand Slam abroad.

The London native, who grew up in Wimbledon, close to the All England Club, played smartly and aggressively in an attempt to further punish Cobolli by moving him around the court.

Fery stands 1.90m tall and lacks the punch of some opponents when serving, but shows plenty of venom in her groundstrokes as she delivers a forehand over her opponent.

Looking distraught, Cobolli’s body language showed how hard Fery was struggling as he approached victory, and he made a series of double faults in the third set to fall behind 5-1.

Given his comfortable cushion, Fery had no trouble serving for the second Grand Slam victory of his career and his third at tour level.

He will now face Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic or Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round (both unseeded but ranked in the top 30).