Against cobolli

John Cain Arena: World No. 185 and British qualifier Arthur Fery delivered the first major upset of the Australian Open 2026, defeating 20th seed Flavio Cobolli 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-1 on the opening day of the Grand Slam tournament.

Last year at Wimbledon, Fery defeated Alexei Popyrin in the first round, who was the 20th seed in the Grand Slam. Interestingly, Popyrin was also the 20th seed when he lost to Fery last January.

The 23-year-old was competing in his third match of the 2026 season. He posted a 1-1 record at the United Cup, securing a three-set win over Stan Wawrinka before losing to French player Arthur Rinderknech 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-5 in a tense three-hour, 21-minute match.