Fery returns with a win at the Cincinnati Open
Arthur Fery picked up his first victory since his run to the Wimbledon semi-finals, defeating James Duckworth 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4) in two hours and 34 minutes at the Cincinnati Open. The 24-year-old, who entered the draw on the strength of his new ranking, was playing his first tournament since SW19 and his first Masters 1000 entered directly through ranking rather than as a qualifier.
Fery arrived in Ohio ranked No. 36 in the world, a sharp rise from outside the top 150 at the start of the grass-court season and No. 114 going into Wimbledon as a wild card. He broke the Australian veteran in the opening game before dropping the second set, then sealed the match by winning four straight points in the third-set tie-break. He will next face fifth seed Alex de Minaur.
Djokovic exits in hot conditions
Novak Djokovic, playing his first match since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals, was knocked out 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 by world No. 50 Thiago Agustin Tirante in two hours and 44 minutes. The three-time Cincinnati champion and current world No. 5 saw a 10-match winning streak at the event ended in the hot and humid conditions in Mason, Ohio.
Djokovic told reporters an unspecified health condition had bothered him in the heat and humidity, describing it as an issue that had troubled him "for the past couple of years" and was aggravated by nerves. The defeat, his first outing since Wimbledon, is a setback with the U.S. Open scheduled to begin on Aug. 30 in New York.
Reflecting on a 'life-changing fortnight'
Fery called his Wimbledon run "life-changing," saying the fortnight was "a blur" as he processed a series of firsts. He said his goal had been not to lose meekly on Centre Court, recalling that he checked the Royal Box on television before his fourth-round match and learned Roger Federer was watching. Fery said the sight made him more nervous than seeing "an actor or an athlete from a different sport," and he went on to win 7-6 in the fifth.
He also described how he managed the off-court attention, saying he avoided replying to WhatsApp messages and stayed off social media during the championships. Fery added that he took time off after Wimbledon before resuming training at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.
Other British results and ranking context
Cameron Norrie bowed out in a late-finishing three-set defeat to top seed and 2021 Cincinnati champion Alexander Zverev, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, losing for the eighth time in eight meetings with the German. In the women's draw, Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova beat Katie Boulter 6-3, 6-3.
Fery's ranking jump to world No. 36 — and British No. 1 — is the key change emerging from the post-Wimbledon hard-court swing, with the U.S. Open now the next major target on the calendar.
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