No repeat of Wimbledon heroics as Fery exits US Open
Arthur Fery was unable to produce a repeat of his Wimbledon heroics as his US Open debut ended in a first-round defeat by Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti.
Fery, 24, was seeking to build on a sensational, breakout run to the semi-finals at his home Grand Slam this summer, an achievement which catapulted him from 114th in the rankings to inside the top 40.
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.
Musetti, a quarter-finalist 12 months ago but absent from the past two majors because of a thigh injury, spoiled Fery's hopes of launching a revival by immediately breaking back twice in the third set before completing a 6-3 6-3 7-5 victory.
This was only British number one Fery's second appearance at an overseas major, following his maiden Australian Open campaign in January.
He was made to wait longer than he might have anticipated to make his tournament bow on a rain-delayed third day at Flushing Meadows, and the match was eventually contested in hot and humid conditions.
Full of confidence after producing one of the great British stories of recent years at Wimbledon, and off the back of reaching his first ATP Tour final at the Winston-Salem Open, Fery appeared at home on Grandstand - the US Open's third-biggest arena.
The Briton wore ear plugs during each change of ends, just as he did at Wimbledon to maintain his focus and block out any distracting noise.
But Musetti proved a silent assassin here, biding his time and making few mistakes when the opportunities arrived.
Recap US Open: GB's Fery beaten in straight sets on debut by Musetti
Musetti has described his versatile game as "vintage", not least because of his impressive, trademark one-handed backhand which repeatedly hurt Fery.
But the Briton delighted with his inventive play during the two-hour contest, and caused Musetti headaches with his early effectiveness at the net in particular.
However, despite a promising start, Fery gifted his opponent the breakthrough with back-to-back double faults, before losing serve again to concede the first set.
It was with a sublime backhand winner that Musetti took charge of the second set on his first break point opportunity, before withstanding four break points to hold for a 5-2 lead.
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.
That revival was short-lived. Musetti produced an immediate response, embarking on a four-game run as the errors began creeping in for the fading Fery.
While Fery refused to yield when faced with a first match point on his serve, and kept the crowd engaged by breaking back to level at five games apiece, he was again left frustrated by his inability to back it up.
Musetti pointed to his head in celebration after eventually seizing his third match point and setting up a second-round meeting with Australian Dane Sweeny.
While disappointed to exit at the first hurdle, this invaluable experience will not take away from a memorable year for Fery, who remained outside the world's top 200 12 months ago.
The first men's wildcard to reach the last four at Wimbledon for 25 years, he will look to push on in 2027 after establishing himself in the upper echelons of the game.
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 task of repeating his spectacular Wimbledon run always appeared a tall one following the draw in New York, and British interest in the men's singles now rests with Jacob Fearnley, Toby Samuel and Jan Choinski, who plays later on Tuesday.
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