Lexus Birmingham Open 2026: Arthur Fery into semi-finals as Mika Stojsavljevic bows out in three set thriller
• 3 minute read
Arthur Fery will head up the British challenge in the semi-finals of the Lexus Birmingham Open this year as rising star Mika Stojsavljevic bows out in a three-set battle against the fifth seed.
Fery recorded a 7-6(7), 6-3 victory over former Birmingham quarter-finalist and Wimbledon men’s doubles runner-up Rinky Hijikata.
That was followed by 17-year-old Stojsavljevic playing an almost three hour match against world No.69 Nikola Bartunkova with the Czech coming through 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(4).
It was landmark win for Fery coming up against the tournament’s fifth seed. Fery’s fourth career top-100 win also sees him through to a first ATP Challenger semi-final on grass and his fifth overall at Challenger Tour level.
From 5-2 down in the opening set, he barely put a foot wrong and found a lot of success coming into the net. The Brit took control in the latter stages of the first set tie-break and got a crucial mini break on his third set point.
After trading four straight breaks in the second set, Fery soon found his rhythm again. At 4-3 on the Australians’ serve, he hit a clean forehand winner to set up more break points before finding a bullet return to move two games in front.
The British No.7 was cool and calm in the big moment, serving out another landmark victory to love and booking his place in the next round.
“It was a tough match again, different game style from Alex Bolt yesterday. It was a quick turnaround from yesterday evening so it was essential to get out the blocks fast and with good energy.
“I thought I played well in pressure moments and stuck to my game style. I really committed to it, which was great.
“I was a bit lucky to get out the second set really. After hardly any breaks all week, to have four in a row was weird but I’m happy I managed to get through.
His semi-final run in Birmingham sees his 2026 season go from strength-to-strength with a new career-high ranking on the horizon.
Back in January, he qualified for the Australian Open for the first time and defeated then world No.22 and now Roland Garros semi-finalist Flavio Cobolli for the biggest win of his career. He’s since made two ATP Challenger semi-finals, with his eyes now set on the Birmingham title.
In the semi-finals he will play Yunchaokete Bu of China. The pair have played twice before with one win apiece. Their most recent meeting came earlier this year in Miami Open qualifying, where Fery came through in three sets.
“It’s always good to get a lot of matches under my belt. It’s great for the confidence and for my tennis. I’ve got another match tomorrow, I’ll do my best and we’ll see how that goes. It’s been a good start to the grass court season.”
For Stojsavljevic, she leaves Brimingham having played her best campaign at WTA 125 level and on the grass, having claimed her first career win on the surface earlier this week.
Like Fery, the young Brit showed her fight and resilience to come back from a set and a break down to take the match to a third set decider.
Bartunkova had the chance to serve for it at 5-3 in the second set, only for Stojsavljevic to fire back in the big moment and eventually seal the set on her fourth set point of the tie-break.
The British star – who won on her Billie Jean King Cup debut back in April – saw a break opportunity come and go midway through the third as they fought on to another tie-break.
Locked at 3-3, Stojsavljevic missed a short forehand, handing a mini break to the Czech star, which was all she needed to wrap up the win and book a semi-final match with Ashlyn Krueger.
Stojsavljevic now has a wild card entry to play in the main draw at the HSBC Championships next week.
Title Partner
Official Partners
