British qualifier Arthur Ferry caused the first shock on day one of the Australian Open by beating Italian 20th seed Flavio Coboli to win another prestigious Grand Slam title.
World No. 185 Ferry notched the biggest win of his career 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 6-1 at a sun-soaked Melbourne Park.
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Coboly, who was out of shape from the start with a stomach bug, ran off the field at the end of the opening period to use the toilet.
Ferry has a knack for beating No. 20 seeds, having beaten Alexei Popyrin at Wimbledon last year.
“Looks like I’d love to be seeded No. 20 in a major,” Ferry joked afterward.
“I love playing in big courts and on big stages.”
‘Now I feel like tennis is my job’ – From Stanford to Grand Slam success
Born in France to parents with financial and sporting backgrounds, Ferry is not a rags-to-riches story.
His mother Olivia is a former professional player who worked as a business development manager for the Lawn Tennis Association, while his father Loic owns French Ligue 1 football club Lorient.
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Olivia flew to Melbourne on Saturday to watch her son make his Australian Open debut, and Ferry said it was good to have parents who understand the inner workings of professional sport.
“They’re all very supportive of me. Not just now, but for the last 10 to 15 years I’ve been playing sports,” Ferry said.
“It’s important to acknowledge their help, not only in my success now, but also during the difficult times of the past two years.
“It’s been a long journey.”
The 23-year-old’s progress has been limited by injuries, particularly a bone bruise in his arm, similar to the issues affecting British number one Jack Draper.
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His breakthrough at the top level was also delayed by his decision to continue his studies.
As a teenager, Ferry chose to attend Stanford University in California on a scholarship—a prestigious institution dedicated to research—majoring in science, technology, and society.
The American academy system is a popular route for British players, with Top 80 stars Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley also following this route.
In addition to receiving what Ferry calls “a world-class education,” the nature of college tennis — the noise, trash talk and teamwork — helped prepare him for the professional rankings.
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“There are people who are ready to give it their all 35 weeks a year – that’s who they are. They are tennis players who started at 18 years old,” he said.
“I went to regular school until I was 16. I did A Levels, homeschooled and competed in juniors, but when I turned 18 tennis was no longer in my life.
“Now I feel like yes. It’s my job.”
The 5-foot-9 Ferry lacked the punch of some opponents on his serve, but when he hit a forehand past his opponent, there was plenty of venom in his groundstrokes.
“I feel like I’m a strong person overall,” Ferry, who grew strong through intense fitness workouts, told BBC Sport.
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“But purely from my size and my style of play, I’m not going to blow guys off the court with aces and late game winners.
“I’ve been playing tennis for a long time, so you learn to work around that by getting into the net and changing speed.”
The Londoner, who grew up near the All England Club in Wimbledon, plays smart and aggressively, moving Coboley around the court.
Wimbledon quarter-finalist Coboley looked forlorn throughout the match.
He took electrolyte tablets provided by his doctor after leaving the court and asked to see medical staff again after falling behind 3-0 in the third set.
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Despite the potential interference, Ferry had no problem claiming his second career Grand Slam victory and third ATP Tour level victory.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina, ranked 61st in the world, earned his reward in the second round by defeating Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in five sets.
