Arthur Fery finishes runner-up to Ignacio Buse at Winston-Salem Open
• 2 minute read
Arthur Fery’s hopes of lifting a first ATP title at the Winston-Salem Open came to an end at the hands of rising star Ignacio Buse.
Fery , who was competing in a career-first ATP final, reached the showpiece match of the ATP 250 event without dropping a set but couldn't find a way past the inspired Peruvian, losing out 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 13 minutes.
While the defeat denied the Brit a maiden ATP Tour title, it did little to dampen what has been a breakthrough season for the 24-year-old.
Building on the confidence gained from his first Masters 1000 main draw victory in Cincinnati, the Wimbledon semi-finalist once again demonstrated the level that has seen him emerge as one of the standout performers in recent months - beating the likes of Cruz Hewitt, Mees Rottgering, Aleksandr Kovacevic and James Duckworth en-route to the final.
In reaching his first Tour-level final, Fery has now climbed to a new career-high ranking of world No.33 and will overtake Cam Norrie as the British No.1.
"Congratulations to you and your team, Ignacio, for your second title this year," Fery said during the trophy ceremony.
"I want to thank my team as well. It couldn't be us today but thank you for everything you do for me. We have had a great year and hopefully we can finish strong."
Competing in an ATP Tour final was new ground for the Brit, while Buse had already experienced the occasion after lift his first ATP title in Hamburg back in May.
Little separated the two in the early stages but Buse seized his opportunity to move 5-3 up as Fery sent a forehand long before closing out the set in just 30 minutes.
The 22-year-old set the tone early in the second - ramping up the intensity to secure a double break lead. While Fery managed to recover one of the breaks, he couldn’t find the answers to Buse’s relentless pressure as the Peruvian reeled off the last three games in a row to secure his second ATP title.
Despite missing out on the title, Fery will take plenty of confidence from a week that yielded five consecutive straight sets victories and further underlined his potential on the ATP Tour.
The Brit will now switch his attention to the US Open, where he is set to make his main draw debut in New York.
He faces a tough first round clash against 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti, but his recent form suggests he will arrive in Flushing Meadows full of belief and confidence.
