Wimbledon 2026: British wildcard Fery cruises past Cobolli; Fritz v Zverev; Noskova and Kostyuk power through in quarter-finals – live

Why This Matters

Key context: <p> Updates from Wednesday’s last-eight action in SW19<br> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/08/arthur-fery-wimbledon-wildcard-carrying-britain-hopes">Arthur Fery: wildcard carrying GB hopes</a> | <a href="mailto:daniel.harris.casual@theguardian.com">Mail Daniel</a></p><p><strong>Paolini bursts out of the blocks with as much speed as she shows when charging around the court, racing to 40-0 and taking the game to 15</strong>. This match pits two of the best athletes in the women’s game against each other, and while Kostyuk possesses more power than the counterpunching Paolini, it’s Paolini who has the greater experience at this stage of grand slams, having reached not only the Wimbledon final but also the French Open final two years ago. Which could be to her advantage, if this comes down to who handles the moment better.</p><p>Three more games, three more holds, but it’s been fairly tortuous on serve for <strong>Mertens, who has to save three break points to scramble to 2-2, just as Paolini and Kostyuk make their entrance on Centre</strong>. I’m really, really looking forward to this one … Paolini, after losing the opening set of her first-round match 6-0, has been a player transformed, finally rediscovering the form that took her to the 2024 final and made her a fan favourite, while Kostyuk, after reaching the French Open semi-finals last month, has carried her form from the clay on to the grass, and has won 20 of her past 21 matches.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/jul/08/wimbledon-2026-noskova-mertens-kostyuk-paolini-fritz-zverev-cobolli-fery-quarter-finals-live">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.