Arthur Fery, the British sensation who captured the imagination of tennis fans with his magical run at Wimbledon, continued his impressive summer campaign by booking a place in the championship match of the Winston‑Salem Open on Friday. The 24‑year‑old Briton navigated the ATP 250 draw with a series of confident performances, beginning with straightforward victories over American Cruz Hewitt and Dutch qualifier Mees Rottgering.
Those early wins set the tone for a quarter‑final showdown against Serbia’s Aleksandar Kovacevic, which Fery won in three tightly contested sets, demonstrating both resilience and tactical acumen. In the semi‑final, Fery faced Australian James Duckworth, a player he had already bested in Cincinnati just two weeks earlier. The match seemed poised to follow a similar script until Duckworth was forced to retire due to an injury while trailing 6‑4, 1‑2.
"I’m really happy to be in the final," Fery said after the match, acknowledging the anticlimactic ending but expressing empathy for his opponent. "Obviously, not the way I wanted it to end at all. I hope James is going to rest up and get ready for next week but very happy to be through." Fery reflected on his play, noting that he had executed his game plan well in the first set, breaking Duckworth’s serve and maintaining momentum. He added, "He was serving very well and tricky but managed to get the break and from then on I thought I was playing good.
He was hindered at the start of the second set and I saw it. It's never easy playing someone who you know is physically challenged, but overall it felt good apart from that last forehand." The British player’s journey this summer reads like a fairy‑tale. After a sensational semi‑final appearance at Wimbledon, where he stunned higher‑ranked opponents and earned widespread acclaim, Fery has surged up the rankings. Just eight weeks ago he was outside the top 100; a string of strong results, including this Winston‑Salem final appearance, is set to catapult him to a new career high on Monday.
The final will be contested on Saturday at 9 p.m. BST and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Tennis. Fery’s opponent is Peru’s rising star Ignacio Buse, the world No.
36, who earned his spot by defeating Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 6‑2, 4‑6, 6‑1. Buse, only 22, has already shown that he can compete at the highest level, having captured his first tour‑level title at the ATP 500 event in Hamburg earlier this year. "It’s going to be another tough match," Fery admitted. "Ignacio is playing really well.
He's a young guy who is breaking out so it's going to be a great match. Definitely a good week for both of us and I'm going to sit down with my coach and see what I can do to beat him." Both finalists have a lot at stake.
A victory for Fery would not only give him his maiden ATP final win but also provide valuable momentum heading into the US Open, where he is slated to make his main‑draw debut. He will open his Grand Slam campaign against Italy’s world No. 14 Lorenzo Musetti, a formidable opponent who will test Fery’s newly honed skills on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows.
Buse, meanwhile, is set to be seeded at the US Open and will face American Marcos Giron in the first round. His recent success in Hamburg and his rapid rise from a ranking of 135 a year ago underscore his potential to become a regular contender on the tour. The Winston‑Salem final therefore represents more than just a trophy; it is a pivotal moment for two young players on the cusp of breaking into the sport’s elite tier.
For Fery, a win would cement his status as one of Britain’s most promising talents and provide a confidence boost ahead of the season’s final Grand Slam. For Buse, a victory would reaffirm his breakthrough year and signal that his Hamburg title was no fluke. Fans can follow the match live on Sky Sports, and the tournament’s coverage will also be available via the NOW streaming platform, which offers contract‑free access to US Open action and other tennis events. The US Open itself begins on August 30 and will be streamed on Sky Sports and the Sky Sports app, ensuring that tennis enthusiasts can keep up with the sport’s biggest stories throughout the summer and into the autumn, including the Laver Cup at The O2 in London later in September.
In summary, Arthur Fery’s progression to the Winston‑Salem final epitomizes the momentum he has built since his Wimbledon heroics. With a world‑class opponent in Ignacio Buse and a challenging US Open draw looming, the British player’s next few weeks will be crucial in shaping his career trajectory. Whether he lifts the Winston‑Salem trophy or not, Fery has already demonstrated that he belongs among the sport’s rising stars, and his performances will be closely watched by fans and analysts alike as the tennis season reaches its climax.