Fery Overcomes Setback to Reach Third Round
Arthur Fery secured a place in the third round of the tournament by defeating Otto Virtanen in four sets, with a scoreline of 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-3. Despite losing the first set after being broken at 5-6 and experiencing a nosebleed shortly thereafter, Fery recovered strongly to claim the next three sets and advance to face Zizou Bergs in the next round.
Born in France but raised near the All England Club, Fery benefits from the proximity of his family home, which is just a ten-minute drive from the tournament grounds. This allows him to stay at home during the event, a rarity for professional tennis players who often travel extensively.
“It’s really nice,” he said. “We don’t have that luxury very often. We’re always in hotels, Airbnbs or apartments. It’s been nice staying at home for Queen’s, staying at home for now, having family around. It feels like I’m at home, and the drive’s not long.”
Swan Falls to Keys in Straight Sets
Katie Swan was defeated by Madison Keys in the second round, losing 6-1, 6-4 on No 1 Court. Swan struggled in the opening set, losing her serve twice and quickly falling behind. The second set was more competitive, featuring five consecutive breaks of serve, but Keys ultimately closed out the match.
Swan expressed disappointment at not extending the match to a third set but remained positive about the experience and her development.
“I’m disappointed that I couldn’t sneak it into a third set,” Swan said. “But I think I can take a lot from this experience and hopefully, next time I play on a court like that, I can go into that with a bit more confidence and knowing that I can compete with these top girls.
“I’ve loved my time here this week. It’s quite surreal to think I was playing on No 1 Court today, and 14 months ago I was playing a 15K in Sharm el-Sheikh. I have come quite a long way, it’s been gradual and steady. That’s the goal from here, to keep building my ranking week-to-week.”
Entering the tournament with a wild card, Swan is currently the British No 6 and had considered quitting tennis two years ago due to persistent back problems. She showed resilience in the second set by breaking Keys’ serve twice and pushing the American to two deuces in the final game before Keys secured the victory.
“I didn’t really know how it would feel to walk out there,” Swan said. “You can sit out there and experience it, but walking on to the court is a whole other thing. And then having to try and perform while my legs felt like they were lead from the nerves.
“I knew I wanted to try and get the crowd going as early as I could. They were amazing, they really helped me stay positive when the score wasn’t going my way. I kept fighting and unfortunately it just didn’t go my way in the end.”
Keys Aims to Build on Victory
Madison Keys, who won last month’s Eastbourne Open on grass, will look to improve on her best Wimbledon performance, which was reaching the quarter-finals in 2023. She acknowledged the challenges of the sport and the unpredictability of match outcomes.
“It’s obviously the slam where I’ve, I guess, done the worst,” Keys said. “Obviously I would like to make it one step further and make a semi-final or go even further and make a final or lift the trophy.
“[But] a lot of times, the game isn’t fully dictated by you. So there’s been times where I feel like I have played really well here and I’ve simply lost because the person on the other side of the net played better. I think that’s the really hard part about this sport specifically, because there’s so little that you actually control.”
