Quick Served: Wimbledon Day 8
Arthur Fery’s dream run continues into the quarterfinals
Context-free soundbite: “That guy is built like a brick shithouse. He is… stable.”
Workhorses are held in high regard on Served, and Andy and JW heap praise on a few of the sport’s best who are headed to the Wimbledon quarterfinals—Taylor Fritz, Elise Mertens and Marta Kostyuk, to name a few. In the process, Techy Sean gets recruited to have his septum pierced like Linda Noskova if she wins the title.
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The Rundown
Fery Tale. British wild card Arthur Fery spoke for everyone when he turned to his box after beating Grigor Dimitrov in five sets on Centre Court, dropped his racquet and mouthed, “What the bleep?” The 23-year-old ranked No. 114 in the world was the only Brit standing by Day 5 and has pulled off two five-set comebacks since then to give the hosts a home hope to cheer for in the quarterfinals. Fery’s throwback, net-crashing game compensates for the lack of power from his 5'9 frame and is made for grass. Taylor Fritz saw Fery’s potential in 2024, when they practiced together before the ATP Finals. “He was cooking me pretty good for the week. I’ve known since then that he can play,” Fritz said in his own press conference after beating Alexander Bublik [10] in straight sets. Up next: Flavio Cobolli [9], whom Fery beat at this year’s Australian Open, though, as Fery noted to the press, Cobolli was under the weather that day.
Staying Power. Don’t worry, everyone, Flavio Cobolli [9] found a place to sleep. After his 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 win over Alex de Minaur [5], Cobolli told the Court 1 crowd that his team’s luggage was packed up at their rental house while they looked for a new one to move to. Now he can peacefully resume his daily routine of pear gelato and pasta until he plays Arthur Fery. We can’t wait—Cobolli is a bit of a live wire, and Wimbledon needs some disruption. Root for the underdog, sure. But keep an eye on the guy across the net having way too much fun. Sinuuu!
Belgium’s Big Win. Not the World Cup. Elise Mertens [25] backed up her upset of Elena Rybakina [2] by beating Marie Bouzkova [21] to reach her first Wimbledon quarterfinal. She is the last All England Lawn Tennis Club member left in the women’s draw, thanks to her two doubles titles here. We love it when the 30-year-old gives us a reason to plug her good heart. She rehabilitates pets in her backyard. She ships her old kits to kids in Africa. She launched an ethical jewelry line to benefit conservation in the Congo. Mertens will meet Linda Noskova [9] in the quarters.
Say Cheese. Ousting the beloved Alexandra Eala [22] risks turning a crowd against you, but who can begrudge Jasmine Paolini [13] this win? The 2024 finalist has spent this season leaving the court in tears of frustration and withdrawing from doubles with a foot injury, which is why it is a relief to see that megawatt smile again. She beat Eala 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to return to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, backing up her second serve with 65% of points won against an opponent who came in red-hot with 14 wins on grass. The cherry on top: Paolini’s idol, Roger Federer, watching from the stands, plus a selfie with him afterward. She will play Marta Kostyuk [12] next.
Perfect Delivery: Clocked It
In mixed doubles, Laura Siegemund, who has a reputation for slow play, was called for back-to-back time violations late in the match tiebreak, lost a first serve and double-faulted. Siegemund and her partner, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, complained that opponent Jelena Ostapenko was tossing the ball “18 times” without repercussion. When Vasselin continued griping after he and Siegemund lost, Ostapenko chimed in.
🎤 Jelena Ostapenko
“Finally, someone’s not afraid to call that when she’s taking, like, two minutes between serves. And everyone knows this.”
Watch the saga in this X thread.
2007
The last year that no unseeded woman made the quarterfinals
For the first time in 19 years, all of the women’s quarterfinalists are seeded. The last time this happened was in 2007, when Venus Williams became the lowest seed at the time (No. 23) to ever lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.
This year, the chalky stat sits in contrast with the draw’s open feeling. Without the top three seeds (and oddsmakers’ pre-tournament favorites), it’s easy to see any of the remaining players winning three more matches. The betting favorite now is Naomi Osaka, followed by Jessica Pegula. In the Served Bracket Challenge, Pegula was the second-favorite pick from the beginning with 1,177 Chuckers taking her to win the title behind 1,363 nods for Elena Rybakina.
Tiebreak Trivia
On this date, an epic Wimbledon match caused a power surge across the U.K. once it finally ended near nightfall and millions of people turned on their lights and kettles at the same time. Which match captivated the public this much?
Quick Hits
Players have grifted 450 tournament towels so far. At £40 a pop, that’s £18,000 worth of breakage. (The Times)
Rafael Nadal, diplomat: He weighed in on the players’ prize money fight. (TNT Sports)
Nice move, Tennis Tribe. In response to the fresh kerfluffle over the value of doubles, the publication posted photos of full stadiums “not watching doubles.” Share yours.
Racquet-clap for the tournament’s new immersive technology for vision-impaired fans. It uses Hawk-Eye’s ball- and player-tracking data to create a “real-time 3D soundscape, allowing blind and low-vision fans to hear the ball’s speed and trajectory.” Get it on the BBC’s iPlayer.
Naomi Osaka ditched her team after losing in Rome, felt terrible about it and changed her attitude. It’s clicking. (BBC Sport)
JW’s traditional midterm grades are up on Sports Illustrated.
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🍿 Day 9 Matches
Jannik Sinner [1] vs. Jan-Lennard Struff
Alexander Zverev [2] vs. Jiri Lehecka [13] - to finish, Zverev leads 6-4, 7-5, 3-3
Felix Auger-Aliassime [3] vs. Novak Djokovic [7]
Jessica Pegula [4] vs. Coco Gauff [7]
Karolina Muchova [10] vs. Naomi Osaka [14]
Tokito Oda [1] vs. Gordon Reid
Diede de Groot [2] vs. Zhenzhen Zhu
Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend [1] vs. Asia Muhammad/Franny Stollar [16]
Harri Heliovaara/Henry Patten [1] vs. Guido Andreozzi/Manuel Guinard [8]
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Regarding "Players have grifted 450 tournament towels so far. At £40 a pop, that’s £18,000 worth of breakage." - Am I the only one bothered by this? Players and commentators treat it as cute or amusing. Sorry folks, it is theft. It is not a great example to set especially for younger players. "I wanted it, so I took it."