ATP Tour

World No. 185 Fery stuns Cobolli, Zverev rallies to reach Australian Open R2

British qualifier Arthur Fery earned the first win of the 2026 Australian Open men’s draw on Sunday when he upset 20th seed Flavio Cobolli 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-1.

“Incredible experience here,” said Fery in his on-court interview. “My first time playing a main-draw Slam outside of Wimbledon and it didn’t disappoint on such a great court with great fans as well.”

Fery, 23, has claimed two of his three tour-level victories at Slam level. Last year at Wimbledon, the then-No. 461 in the PIF ATP Rankings stunned Alexei Popyrin in the opening round. Fittingly, Popyrin was the 20th seed, the same seed which Fery ousted Down Under.

A former two-time ITA All-American at Stanford University, Fery produced superb shotmaking throughout the two-hour, 12-minute clash and converted six of his 10 break-point chances. Cobolli took a medical timeout after three games and received several visits from the doctor across the match, seemingly struggling with a stomach issue. The World No. 22 was unable to find rhythm and counter Fery’s fearless baseline play at John Cain Arena.

Fery, who began the season’s first major at a career-high No. 185 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will look to build upon his momentum against Miomir Kecmanovic or Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Cobolli helped guide Italy to a third consecutive Davis Cup title in November. Cobolli was clutch that week, not only clinching the final victory against Spain, but also saving seven match points against Belgium's Zizou Bergs in the semi-finals.

The 23-year-old was playing his third match of the 2026 season. He went 1-1 at the United Cup, earning a three-set victory against Stan Wawrinka before falling to Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-5 in a three-hour, 21-minute nailbiter.

Third seed Alexander Zverev overcame early trouble against dangerous Canadian Gabriel Diallo to begin his campaign in winning fashion, posting a 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory after claiming six service breaks.

"When I saw the draw I wasn't too happy to be honest," Zverev said. "He's very young and talented and unbelievably aggressive. It was difficult to find a rhythm and the first set was not my best tennis, but once I got into the match I felt good on the court."

Making his 40th major appearance, last year’s finalist quickly rebounded from a below-par performance in the first-set tie-break, during which he struggled to find rhythm on his forehand. By earning a break in Diallo’s first service game of the second set, Zverev loosened up and stood closer to the baseline to dictate rallies while swinging freely at the ball.

The 28-year-old’s serve set the tone for the match, a positive sign for Zverev’s form in the early stages of the tournament. In the third set alone, the German landed 86 per cent of his first serves and won 95 per cent (18/19) of those points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He finished with 15 aces and just one double fault.