Arthur Fery kept British singles hopes alive at Wimbledon as he fought back from a set down to beat Finland’s Otto Virtanen and reach the third round.
Only four home players were left standing at the All England Club after the opening round, with 15 Britons falling at the first hurdle – the highest number since 1988.
Fery became the first British man to reach the second round when he rallied from a set down to to beat Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur on Tuesday.
And the 23-year-old wildcard continued his winning streak in similar style against Virtanen, battling back to seal a 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-3 victory on a packed-out court 18.
It is the first time Fery, who was watched on by the Princess of Wales for part of his match, has reached the third round of a Grand Slam.
His fellow Britons Katie Swan, Jacob Fearnley and Jan Choinski will hope to join him there later on Thursday.
Fery, ranked 114th in the world, will next face another unseeded player in either Zizou Bergs of Belgium or Portugal’s Jaime Faria.
