Fery Overcomes Bergs and Nosebleeds to Reach Fourth Round
British wildcard Arthur Fery, ranked 114th in the world, defeated Zizou Bergs in a five-set match to advance to the Wimbledon fourth round, maintaining hopes for a home singles contender despite suffering three nosebleeds during the contest.
Fery recovered twice after trailing by a set and a break to secure a 2-6 7-5 2-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-5) victory in front of a packed crowd on court 18.
Initially outside the world’s top 100 at the start of the championships, Fery outperformed his ranking to become the only home player to reach the singles third round.
Having previously come back to defeat Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur and Finland’s Otto Virtanen in his first two matches, Fery appeared to be running out of energy against Belgium’s Bergs. However, the 23-year-old maintained composure and rallied to become the first British wildcard to reach the Wimbledon fourth round since Andrew Foster in 1993.
"No words for it, honestly," said Fery, who collapsed to the floor in celebration after a demanding four hours and 39 minutes on court — the longest match of this year’s tournament.
"I don't know what is going on right now. It will take time to digest it."
Fery is set to face Italy’s Matteo Berrettini or Grigor Dimitrov in the next round.
‘Simply Remarkable’ – Fery Advances to Last 16
Returning to court 18, which he had requested after his second-round win over Virtanen there, Fery endured a challenging start, falling behind early and experiencing a third consecutive nosebleed during the match.
He received treatment for the nosebleed on three separate occasions, with the final incident occurring while he was serving to stay in the match at 5-4 down in the deciding set.
"It is a problem I am going to address. It has happened before but it's not that common," Fery explained.
"It happened at times today when I didn't want to stop, when momentum was with me.
"I know it annoying for the opponent. It gives me some extra time to rest sometimes."
According to Grand Slam regulations, a player who is bleeding must receive treatment before play can continue but is not required to leave the court. There is no limit on the number of treatments a player can receive.
Match Progress and Key Moments
Bergs dominated early with a combination of powerful forehand winners and precise drop shots, taking the opening set.
However, after losing serve early in the second set, Fery found his rhythm and capitalized on an increasing number of errors from the 6ft 1in Belgian.
The momentum shifted midway through the third set as Bergs won six consecutive games and took a 4-1 lead in the fourth set.
Supported by an enthusiastic crowd, the French-born British player fought back to level the match and push it to a deciding set, keeping his aspirations alive.
Despite Bergs moving ahead 4-1 again in the fifth set, Fery mounted a final comeback to force a tiebreak, which he won decisively, buoyed by the crowd’s support.
