MELBOURNE (AFP/Reuters) – 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.
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.
Paolini races into round two
Jasmine Paolini powered into the Australian Open second round with a straight-sets demolition to kickstart the action in a hot and sunny Melbourne.
Jasmine Paolini hits a return against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
The seventh-seeded Italian outclassed Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
Paolini faces Poland's Magdalena Frech or Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia next.
"It was pretty good today, I did not expect that," she said of her emphatic win in 69 minutes.
"Always tough to play first round. I played pretty good. I was solid, focused, so happy.
"Before the match I was a little nervous, to be honest, but then stepped on court and felt good from the first ball."
The 30-year-old broke her opponent's serve immediately and raced into a 3-0 lead in just 10 minutes.
She polished off the first set in 26 minutes and although Sasnovich put up more resistance in the second, Paolini ran out a comfortable winner.
Paolini reached the finals of Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024, but her best result at Melbourne Park is the fourth round in the same year.
Vondrousova withdraws with injury
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova withdrew from the Australian Open on Sunday after the Czech player said she was dealing with a shoulder injury.
Vondrousova, who won her lone Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2023, has struggled for form since a quarter-final run at the US Open last year, making several first-round exits.
"I'm really sorry that I had to withdraw from the Australian Open due to ongoing shoulder issues," she wrote on Instagram.
"After everything I've been dealing with, I need to prioritize my health, even though this decision wasn't easy. Thank you all for your understanding and support."
Vondrousova was the 32nd seed and was scheduled to play American Hailey Baptiste in the first round.
Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini was also forced to withdraw from the year's first major due to discomfort in his abdomen.
"I won't be ready to perform at my best level for five sets. It hurts because playing in Australia has always been special. After four weeks of intense training I was excited and ready to get going," he said.
Berrettini was set to play sixth seed and local favourite Alex De Minaur, who will now face American Mackenzie McDonald.