Briton Arthur Fery did his tennis-mad mum proud on Sunday after she jetted over from Europe when he came through qualifying at the Australian Open to witness him upset 20th seed Flavio Cobolli.
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The 23-year-old, ranked 185 and in his main draw debut at Melbourne Park, blasted past the Italian 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-1 on John Cain Arena.
"Very satisfying. I was already happy to qualify here for my first time, and now obviously coming through qualies and winning a round, I'm proud of it," he said.
Fery's only other Grand Slam second round appearance came at Wimbledon last year, where he also beat a 20th seed in the first round – Australian Alexei Popyrin.
Arthur Ferry couldn't have asked for a better Australian Open debut 😎 #AO26 pic.twitter.com/sZ695WFmp2
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2026
When he successfully negotiated qualifying in Melbourne, his mum, Olivia, who played in the 1991 Roland Garros women's doubles, was quick to jump on a plane to Australia and support him.
"When I won that last round (of qualifying), she asked me if she could come," he said.
"I was, 'of course, it would be nice to have you here'. It's obviously a long way, but at least I made it worth it. She can see at least two matches – hopefully more."
On a mission 😤
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2026
Arthur Fery is yet to drop a set at the #AO26, cruising through Q1, Q2, Q3 and now R1 ✅@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/m51XCUZ8U0
Asked if she had given him any tips, given her own professional tennis career, he replied: "When I was younger. Now, not so much.
"She leaves me with my coaches to talk about tennis. But like everyone's mum and dad, I guess they give you life advice."
Defeat was a big setback for Cobolli, who appeared to be battling a stomach issue throughout the match.
He made the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year, before falling to Novak Djokovic, and won two ATP titles at Bucharest and Hamburg.