MELBOURNE, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - British qualifier Arthur Fery scored a major upset Sunday at the Australian Open by taking down 20th seed Flavio Cobolli on his maiden main draw debut in Melbourne.

The 23-year-old, ranked 185, blasted past the Italian 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-1 on John Cain Arena.

"It was an incredible experience here, first time playing main draw on such a great court with great fans as well," he said.

"Flavio is a great player. I love playing on the big stage."

Fery's only other Grand Slam second round appearance came at Wimbledon last year, where he also beat a 20th seed in the first round -- Australian Alexei Popyrin.

Defeat was a big setback for Cobolli, who appeared to be battling a physical issue throughout the match.

He made the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, before falling to Novak Djokovic, and won two ATP titles at Bucharest and Hamburg.