London, July 7 (IANS) Home favourite Arthur Fery staged a dramatic comeback to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals after he rallied past former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-7).

This was the first-ever singles match between two wild cards in the last 16 or later at a Grand Slam. And it produced a rollercoaster encounter that will go down in Wimbledon history.

Dimitrov went out at the same stage last year when he suffered a pectoral injury when leading Jannik Sinner by two sets to love. Fast-forward 12 months and the former world No.3 Bulgarian led by two sets to one against the British No.3 and was twice up a break in the fourth set. But from 4-3 15-0 up, Dimitrov lost 11 consecutive points in a spectacular mid-match slump to allow Fery to draw level.

Fery showed skill and courage beyond his years in his first appearance on Centre Court to convert his first match point in the final set tie-break when Dimitrov’s backhand found the net.

The 23-year-old is the last British player left in the singles. And he became only the sixth British man in the Open era to reach the last eight here after Andy Murray, Tim Henman, Roger Taylor, Greg Rusedski and Cameron Norrie.

He is also just the fifth wildcard in the Open era to reach the last eight in the men’s singles at The Championships and the first man outside the top 100 to get this far in singles since world No.144 Nick Kyrgios in 2014., the same year Dimitrov ended Murray’s Wimbledon title defence.

Fery had never got beyond the second round of a Grand Slam before but will now face Roland-Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli, who ousted fifth seed Alex de Minaur 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3, for a place in the last four.

He was already guaranteed to break into the top 100 and the way he played the big points at the start and end of his match on Monday suggested the Paris-born star – dubbed the cross-Channel Fery – can go even higher in the rankings.

–IANS

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