Arthur Fery’s impressive breakthrough season suffered a setback at the US Open as the British No. 1 was knocked out in the opening round by Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti.
Fery, 24, arrived in New York on the back of a remarkable Wimbledon campaign in which he reached the semi-finals, becoming the first British men’s wildcard in 25 years to reach the last four at the tournament. His run also lifted him from 114th in the world to No. 33.
However, Fery faced a difficult first-round draw against Musetti, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist and last year’s US Open quarter-finalist. The Italian had also missed the past two Grand Slam tournaments because of a thigh injury.
Musetti took control of the match with consistent play and his trademark one-handed backhand, eventually completing a 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory in two hours.
Fery showed flashes of the inventive tennis that had carried him deep into Wimbledon, particularly at the net. But costly mistakes, including consecutive double faults in the opening set, allowed Musetti to take the advantage.
The Briton briefly threatened a comeback in the third set after breaking to lead 2-0. Musetti immediately responded with a four-game winning streak and appeared to be cruising towards victory.
Fery refused to give up, breaking back when Musetti served for the match to level at 5-5 and reignite the crowd. But the Italian held his nerve, breaking again before converting his third match point.
Despite the early exit, Fery’s 2026 season remains a significant breakthrough. Only a year ago, he was ranked outside the world’s top 200. His Wimbledon run and first ATP Tour final in Winston-Salem have established him among the leading players on the British tennis scene.
Fery will now look to build on his rapid rise, while British hopes in the US Open men’s singles rest with Jacob Fearnley, Toby Samuel and Jan Choinski.
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