Arthur Fery denied maiden ATP title in agonising final defeat before US Open

Arthur Fery was cruelly denied a maiden ATP Tour title as he was beaten by Igancio Buse at the Winston-Salem Open. He beat Cruz Hewitt, the son of former world No1 Lleyton, in the opening round, before he breezed past Mees Rottgering and battled beyond Aleksandar Kovacevic - coming from a set down - in the quarter-finals. Fery, now the world No33 after his run to the final, was forced to play two matches - his last-four encounter with James Duckworth and then the final against Buse - in one day in order to squeeze both in before the US Open first round, which begins on Sunday. The Briton, 24, will face Lorenzo Musetti, the 13th seed, in his opening match after narrowly missing out on a seeded place in the men’s draw at Flushing Meadows. He completed his preparation for the year’s final Grand Slam with a 6-3 6-2 defeat by his Peruvian opponent at Winston-Salem, where he became the first Brit ever to reach the final of the ATP 250 event. It sees him become the British No1, overtaking Cameron Norrie, who opens his own US Open campaign as the 29th seed on Sunday when he takes on the unseeded Frenchman Luca Van Assche. Both Fery and Buse traded service holds in a tense encounter in the opening set in the North Carolina sunshine, but the world No36 seized the initiative as he broke to love for 5-3, snaring first blood with a final hold.He then secured a double breach of the Fery delivery, winning three successive games to cap off the victory and make the Briton wait a little longer for his first tour trophy. Fery will be one of nine Britons flying the Union Jack in Queens over the coming fortnight, although Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, the former semi-finalist and champion at this tournament, will not be taking part due to their respective injuries.