Arthur Fery kept British hopes alive at Wimbledon as he fought back from a set down to beat Finland’s Otto Virtanen and reach the third round, but Katie Swan’s dream return to SW19 was ended by Madison Keys.
Only four home players were left standing at the All England Club after the opening round, with 15 Britons falling at the first hurdle – the highest number since 1988.
Fery became the first British man to reach the second round when he rallied from a set down to to beat Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur on Tuesday.
And the 23-year-old wildcard continued his winning streak in similar style against Virtanen, battling back to seal a 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-3 victory on a packed-out court 18.
“It’s great to do it for the UK. Selfishly I am doing it for myself first – but I’m always behind the other players and wishing them success,” Fery said.
“So happy with how I managed to keep my emotions in check and keep going. So happy to reach the third round.”
However, Swan – making her first appearance at Wimbledon in three years – was unable to join Fery in the third round as she fell to a 6-1 6-4 defeat by American Keys.
The 27-year-old enjoyed a “full-circle moment” on her return as she moved past Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu to claim her first Grand Slam main-draw win since defeating the same opponent in 2018.
Both Fery and Swan were watched on by Catherine, the Princess of Wales – a patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC).
“I didn’t know she was here. I probably would have been a bit more tight if I did,” said Fery, who has reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Fellow Britons Jacob Fearnley and Jan Choinski will hope to follow suit later on Thursday, when they take on Jaume Munar and Frances Tiafoe respectively.
Fery, ranked 114th in the world, will next face another unseeded player in either Zizou Bergs of Belgium or Portugal’s Jaime Faria.
