Arthur Fery’s maiden US Open campaign concluded in the first round on Tuesday, as the 24-year-old was defeated in straight sets by Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti. The final scoreline of 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 marked a difficult exit for the Briton, who had arrived in New York aiming to build on a breakout summer that included a historic semi-final run at Wimbledon.
Fery, currently ranked 33rd in the world, narrowly missed out on a seeded position for the tournament. His draw against Musetti—a quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows last year who had been sidelined from the previous two majors due to a thigh injury—proved a formidable opening challenge. The match, which took place on the tournament’s third-biggest arena, Grandstand, was delayed by rain and played out in sweltering, humid conditions.
Despite the loss, Fery’s trajectory remains impressive. Only 12 months ago, he was ranked outside the world’s top 200, only breaking into that bracket in October 2025. His summer success, which saw him become the first men’s wildcard to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in 25 years, propelled him from 114th in the rankings to the top 40. This US Open appearance was only his second at an overseas major, following his debut at the Australian Open in January.
During the match, Fery utilized his familiar tactic of wearing earplugs during changeovers to maintain focus. While he showed flashes of his inventive play and effectiveness at the net, he struggled with consistency. After a promising start, he conceded the first set following back-to-back double faults and a second service break. Musetti, who describes his own style as “vintage” and relies on a trademark one-handed backhand, took control of the second set with a sublime winner before holding serve to lead 5-2.
Fery attempted a comeback in the third set, breaking Musetti early to secure a 2-0 lead. However, the Italian responded immediately, winning four consecutive games as Fery’s error count began to rise. Although the Briton managed to break back to level the score at 5-5, he was unable to sustain the momentum. Musetti eventually converted his third match point to secure the victory and set up a second-round match against Australian Dane Sweeny.
Reflecting on the year, Fery’s performance at the Winston-Salem Open, where he reached his first ATP Tour final just days before arriving in New York, underscores his rapid development. While the defeat at Flushing Meadows is a disappointment, the experience serves as another milestone in his ascent through the upper echelons of professional tennis. As Fery looks toward the 2027 season, British interest in the men’s singles draw now shifts to Jacob Fearnley, Toby Samuel, and Jan Choinski. The report also notes that but having narrowly missed out on a seeded position in New York – awarded to the top 32 players – the world number 33 was unfortunate to draw talented all-rounder Musetti in his opener. The report also notes that just as he did at Wimbledon to maintain his focus and block out any distracting noise, the Briton wore ear plugs during each change of ends. The report also notes that biding his time and making few mistakes when the opportunities arrived, but Musetti proved a silent assassin here. The report also notes that refusing to lose hope after falling two sets down, Fery threatened to launch a fightback in the third when he broke for the first time to take a 2-0 lead. The report also notes that embarking on a four-game run as the errors began creeping in for the fading Fery, musetti produced an immediate response. The report also notes that fery, who had never progressed beyond the second round at one of the sport’s major tournaments before this summer, has already hinted that will be the case after going close to his first ATP title in North Carolina on Saturday. The report also notes that live scores, results and order of play.
