Australian Open Upset: World No. 185 Ferry Eliminates 20th Seed Cobolli to Claim First Win at the Australian Open

The 23-year-old qualifier overcame 20th seed Cobolli to secure his third tour-level win in his career

On the first day of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Arthur Ferry beat Flavio Cobolli in straight sets.

British qualifierArthur Ferrysparked the first major upset of the 2026 Australian Open men’s singles on Sunday, defeating 20th seed Flavio Cobolli 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-1 to advance smoothly.

“It’s been an amazing experience competing here,” Ferry said in a post-match interview on court. “This is my first Grand Slam main draw outside of Wimbledon, playing on such a great stage with so many passionate fans. The match didn’t disappoint.”

Among Ferry’s three career tour wins, two have come at Grand Slam events. Last year at Wimbledon, then ranked just 461st, he caused an upset in the first round by defeating Alexei Popyrin. Coincidentally, Popyrin was also seeded 20th, the same seed as Cobolli, who Ferry defeated this time at the Australian Open.

Ferry, a Stanford University alumnus and two-time recipient of the ITA National Player of the Year award, controlled the match with impressive shot-making during the 2-hour 12-minute battle. He converted 6 of 10 break point opportunities. Cobolli requested a medical timeout after the third game and received multiple treatments from the trainer, apparently struggling with stomach discomfort. The world No. 22 was unable to find his rhythm on John Cain Arena and struggled to handle Ferry’s aggressive baseline play throughout.

Competing at a career-high ranking of No. 185 in his first Grand Slam of the season, Ferry will face the winner between Martin Echeverry and his next opponent, aiming to maintain his strong momentum.

Last November, Cobolli helped Italy secure a third consecutive Davis Cup title. He was a key player in that tournament, not only clinching the final victory against Spain but also saving seven match points to come back and win against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in the semifinals.

This match marked Cobolli’s third encounter of the 2026 season. Earlier at the United Cup, he posted a 1-1 record, first beating Stan Wawrinka in three sets before losing a grueling 3-hour 21-minute match 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-5 against France’s Arthur Rinderknech. Cobolli is seeded in section 2/8 of the draw. With this loss, Bublik and Deminarl lose a seeded opponent in upcoming rounds.

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