australian open
Ferry, ranked 185th in the world, made his first Australian Open upset.
The 23-year-old beats No. 20 seed Copoli to win his third tour-level victory
January 18, 2026
Martin Cape/AFP via Getty Images
Arthur Fery defeated Flavio Cobolli in straight sets in Melbourne on Sunday.
Written by ATP Staff
British qualifier Arthur Ferry earned his first victory in the men’s draw of the 2026 Australian Open on Sunday, defeating 20th seed Flavio Coboli 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-1.
“It’s been an unbelievable experience here,” Ferry said in an on-court interview. “My first Grand Slam main draw outside of Wimbledon and it didn’t disappoint on such a great court and with great fans.”
Ferry, 23, has two wins in his three tour-level majors. Last year at Wimbledon, the then world no. Alexei Popyrin was ranked 461st in the PIF ATP rankings in the first round. Appropriately enough, Popyrin was the 20th seed and the one with whom Ferry eliminated Australia.
Ferry, a two-time Stanford ITA All-American, showed off his striking power during the two-hour, 12-minute match, saving six of 10 break point opportunities. Coboly took a medical timeout after three games and was checked by doctors multiple times during the game for what appeared to be a stomach problem. The world No. 22 was unable to find a rhythm and counter Ferry’s fearless baseline performance at John Cain Arena.
Ferry, who starts the season at his first Grand Slam at a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of 185, will look to continue his momentum against either Miomir Kekmanovic or Tomas Martin Echeverri.
