US Open 2026: Arthur Fery reflects on first round exit & looks ahead to Davis Cup
• 3 minute read
British No.1 Arthur Fery was unable to replicate his Wimbledon heroics at this year’s US Open – bowing out in the first round to world No.14 Lorenzo Musetti.
Fery grew into the match as it went on and led by a break in the third set before losing to the two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
This was Fery’s first Grand Slam since his run to the Wimbledon semi-finals this summer, where he became only the second wild card to make the final four.
After making his main draw debut at Flushing Meadows, Fery admitted that this first round clash will prove a valuable learning experience going forward.
“Tough match,” he said to the press after the match. “Obviously a good player that I faced. I didn’t have much time to get used to the site and the conditions coming straight from Winston-Salem, but I knew that coming in. I did what I could with what I had today.
“Not a great performance my end, but I have to give credit to Musetti. He’s tricky to play, has a one-hander, slices a lot and I wasn’t able to do enough.
“It’s useful for sure (competing against players of that level). I know what I have to work on, I have a lot of ideas coming straight off the court of what I could do better.
“My serve let me down today, which is not usually the case. When you play guys of that level it’s tough and the margins are small.”
It was a quick turnaround for Fery, who on Saturday played his first career ATP final at Winston-Salem before rushing to New York for the start of the US Open.
The last few months have seen a series of firsts for the 24-year-old, not only making a maiden final, but also breaking into the world’s top 50, claiming his first ATP Masters 1000 win in Cincinnati, and becoming British No.1, and Fery wouldn’t change those experiences for anything.
“The Grand Slams are the biggest tournaments, and everyone has their eye on them, but these past two weeks, would I sign on for that again? Yeah, probably to be honest,” he explained.
“I got a lot of ranking points, made an ATP final, which is good, even though it meant my preparation for the US Open wasn’t great.”
The next stop in Fery’s season will be the Davis Cup, where he will join Cam Norrie, Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool in a Qualifier second round tie against Ecuador at the Copper Box Arena in London.
It’s the first time that Fery will head into a Davis Cup match as the top-ranked player in his country.
“It’s going to be great, I’m really looking forward to that,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going back, practicing and getting in good shape to represent my country. Playing as the No.1 Brit at home is going to be special.
“It’s an honour to be No.1 in Great Britain and following all those names and great players who have had unbelievable careers. I’m new to it, and I’m just going to try and focus on the tennis.
“I’m going to go to Asia after Davis Cup, play tour events there for the first time. Go to Tokyo and then Shanghai, and then unsure yet. Hopefully I’ll play a busy schedule, get a lot of matches in, and hopefully qualify for Davis Cup Finals.”
