Sawt Falasteen - British qualifier upsets 20th seed Cobolli in Melbourne

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British qualifier upsets 20th seed Cobolli in Melbourne / Photo: Martin KEEP - AFP

British qualifier upsets 20th seed Cobolli in Melbourne

SPORTS 18.01.2026

British qualifier Arthur Fery scored a major upset Sunday at the Australian Open by taking down 20th seed Flavio Cobolli on his maiden main draw debut in Melbourne.

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The 23-year-old, ranked 185, blasted past the Italian 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-1 on John Cain Arena.

"It was an incredible experience here, first time playing main draw on such a great court with great fans as well," he said.

"Flavio is a great player. I love playing on the big stage."

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.

Defeat was a big setback for Cobolli, who appeared to be battling a physical issue throughout the match.

He made the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, before falling to Novak Djokovic, and won two ATP titles at Bucharest and Hamburg.

M.AlAhmad--SF-PST

Sawt Falasteen - British qualifier upsets 20th seed Cobolli in Melbourne

British qualifier upsets 20th seed Cobolli in Melbourne

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