Fery made a promising start when he pushed Zverev to deuce in his first service game, and responded immediately after going a break down three games later.
After arguing with the umpire over a problem with the technology for let calls, a fired-up Fery got the first set back on level terms – helped by a sublime angled drop shot that had the crowd leaping to their feet.
The pair continued to go toe-to-toe, but when the tie-break arrived it was Zverev who raised the intensity, whizzing through seven points without reply to take the opener.
Having found his level, the 6ft 6in German remained on top, and the gulf became clear as he overpowered Fery to win five games on the bounce before wrapping up the second set.
While Fery had fought back his first three matches at the All England Club, there were no signs of a comeback on Friday – despite the crowd’s best efforts to rally their home hope.
Unable to cope with the pace coming from Zverev’s racquet, Fery – who had remained calm when he found himself behind in his previous matches – became frustrated and gestured angrily towards his team as Zverev rode through 15 points unchallenged.
The Briton fended off three break points at 4-3, but it only delayed the inevitable and Zverev lofted a ball into the sky as he secured the victory.
Zverev, meanwhile, will rise to world number two when the rankings are updated on Monday, replacing the injured Carlos Alcaraz.
Fery has lived out his dreams over the past fortnight on the Wimbledon grounds just a short walk from where he grew up.
He battled back from a set down in his first three matches and stunned former world number three Grigor Dimitrov in a marathon five-set win on his Centre Court debut.
But it was not until he dismantled French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli, the ninth seed, in the quarter-finals that people really started to take notice.
The French-born Briton has endeared himself to fans – on Centre Court, Henman Hill and further afield – with his never-give-up attitude and intense self-belief.
Having never cracked the top 100 before this tournament, he will suddenly find himself inside the top 40 and assured of direct entry into the sport’s biggest tournaments for the foreseeable future.
And the £900,000 in prize money will help to further develop his career – especially considering it is £240,000 more than his previous career earnings before Wimbledon.
“I really think he is going to do amazing things in this sport,” Zverev added.
