Two Italian tennis stars made their mark at Wimbledon on Monday, with Flavio Cobolli and Jasmine Paolini both punching their tickets to the quarterfinals, while British wildcard Arthur Fery thrilled home fans by surviving a grueling match against fellow wildcard Grigor Dimitrov.
Cobolli, seeded ninth, dispatched Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3 on a sweltering afternoon on Court One — a match that was interrupted twice after spectators in the stands fell ill from the heat. The victory came on the heels of Cobolli’s runner-up finish at Roland Garros, where he lost to Alexander Zverev, and he continued to show his best tennis on the Grand Slam stage. A standout moment came deep in the second set when he unleashed a spinning forehand winner that showcased his shot-making ability. After the match, Cobolli was spotted cooling off with some ice cream.
“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.”
For De Minaur, the defeat stung deeply. The 27-year-old had been chasing his eighth Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance and hoping to finally break through that barrier. “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.”
On Centre Court, Paolini — seeded 13th — knocked out crowd favorite Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to keep her deep Wimbledon run going. Paolini was the runner-up at the event in 2024 and has been dealing with a foot injury that has troubled her throughout the season, but she says she’s finding her love for the game again at a venue where she feels strong fan 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.
Paolini’s next opponent will be Ukrainian 12th seed Marta Kostyuk, who opened the eighth day of competition with a 6-4, 6-4 win over American qualifier Ashlyn Krueger on Court Two. Kostyuk acknowledged the pressure she felt heading into the match. “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,” she said. “Of course, there was more pressure. I think just all these things kind of connected. For sure the heat didn’t help.”
The heat has been a major storyline throughout the tournament. Last week saw temperatures reach around 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking British records for June. Forecasters expect the second week to bring temperatures climbing back above 30 degrees Celsius.
In other women’s action, former Australian Open champion Madison Keys was eliminated with a 6-4, 7-6(2) loss to 21-year-old Czech Linda Noskova, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in her career. Noskova, who looks to follow in the footsteps of Czech champions Petra Kvitova, Marketa Vondrousova, and Barbora Krejcikova, will next face Belgian Elise Mertens, who beat fellow Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-4.
The evening’s biggest moment for the home crowd came when Fery, the last remaining British player in the singles draw, battled past Dimitrov 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-7) in a match that stretched nearly four hours.
On the men’s side, Taylor Fritz cruised past Kazakh 10th seed Alexander Bublik 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years at the All England Club. Zverev, who won the French Open title, will look to stay in contention for a second Grand Slam crown when he takes on Jiri Lehecka later in the day.
