By Shrivathsa Sridhar
LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) – Effervescent Italians Flavio Cobolli and Jasmine Paolini lit up the lawns of Wimbledon and returned to the quarter-finals, while British fans uncorked the champagne after Arthur Fery outlasted fellow wildcard Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.
After losing the Roland Garros final to Alexander Zverev, Cobolli continued his fine Grand Slam form by beating Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur 7-5 7-6(4) 6-3 on a blazing afternoon on Court One, where play was twice halted when fans fell ill.
The ninth seed kept his cool in tense moments and unleashed his big shot-making – impressing with a spinning forehand winner deep in the second set – to see off his determined opponent and then looked to beat the heat with some ice cream.
COBOLLI FINDS HIGH LEVEL
“I feel great. It was an incredible match for me. I think I played one of the best matches, especially on this surface that is always tough to play on,” Cobolli told reporters.
“Today I found a way to have a high level for, I don’t know how much I played, but for all the match … I’m proud and happy to reach a second quarter-final in a row here at Wimbledon. That means a lot for me.
“I played for my first time here on Court One. The feeling on the court was incredible. I love to play there. The sound was amazing and amazing feeling with the ball.”
DE MINAUR LEFT DISTRAUGHT
The end of De Minaur’s bid to reach an eighth Grand Slam quarter-final, and hopes of finally crossing that hurdle, left the 27-year-old deeply disappointed.
“I think breaking it down into possibly simpler terms, I think one of us went out to win the match, and the other went out not to lose the match,” De Minaur said.
“I think it’s pretty self-explanatory who was who.
“It breaks me inside. That’s the reality of it. Many, many hours gets put into my craft and countless years to have moments like these. To not step up to the plate, it’s gut wrenching.”
Cobolli’s compatriot Paolini ended fellow crowd favourite Alexandra Eala’s trailblazing Wimbledon run with a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory over the Filipina on Centre Court to stay on track for another deep run after her 2024 runner-up finish.
The 13th seed’s Wimbledon participation was hampered due to a foot injury that has dogged her season but she said she was rediscovering her joy for tennis again at a venue where she has enjoyed great support.
“I’m enjoying playing tennis. Of course, it’s easier when you play well. But I think it’s important to try to keep this mindset, even when things are tougher,” Paolini said.
KOSTYUK KEEPS COOL TO WIN
Paolini will face another big test when she meets Ukrainian 12th seed Marta Kostyuk, who began the eighth day’s proceedings with a 6-4 6-4 win over American qualifier Ashlyn Krueger on Court Two as the heat began to make life uncomfortable.
After a heatwave last week, which broke British records for June at around 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit), the second week of the tournament is forecast to see temperatures climb again beyond 30 degrees Celsius.
“It was a pretty stressful match for me because I was the one coming into this match with being a favourite with such a good opportunity, playing for the first quarter-final here in Wimbledon,” Kostyuk said.
“Of course, there was more pressure. I think just all these things kind of connected. For sure the heat didn’t help.”
LAST BRIT FERY STAYS AFLOAT
Former Australian Open champion Madison Keys joined Krueger in going out the exit door following a 6-4 7-6(2) loss to rising Czech Linda Noskova, who reached the last eight of the Grand Slam for the first time.
The 21-year-old Noskova, who is eager to follow in the footsteps of her champion compatriots Petra Kvitova, Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova, will face Elise Mertens after the Belgian beat Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-4 6-4.
Local fans were in for a treat in the evening when Fery fought past Dimitrov 7-5 3-6 4-6 6-4 7-6(10-7) in nearly four hours to continue his extraordinary journey as the last remaining Briton in the singles draw.
Taylor Fritz made swift work of Kazakh 10th seed Alexander Bublik 7-6(1) 6-4 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years at the All England Club.
Fellow title contender Zverev will aim to keep alive his bid for a second Grand Slam crown after his French Open triumph when he takes on Jiri Lehecka later.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in London; Editing by Alison Williams)
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