Arthur Fery kept his strong summer run going by reaching the Winston-Salem Open quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 19-year-old Mees Rottgering. The result marks the Briton’s third tour-level quarterfinal since mid-June and his first on hard courts.
Fery’s Impressive Momentum
Fery’s surge follows a breakthrough semifinal run at Wimbledon last month, achieved while ranked No. 114. That performance lifted him to a career-high No. 36 in the ATP rankings. He also made the quarterfinals at Queen’s Club. Seeded fourth this week in North Carolina, Fery will face Aleksandar Kovacevic next.
Kovacevic advanced by defeating seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (1), tying their head-to-head at one win apiece. It is the 27-year-old’s third tour-level quarterfinal of the season, following Brisbane and Hamburg.
Second seed Luciano Darderi exited in a one-hour, eight-minute loss to Botic van de Zandschulp, who cruised 6-1, 6-0. With that upset, third seed Ignacio Buse becomes the highest seed left in the draw after edging Daniel Altmaier 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Elsewhere, 15th seed Fabian Marozsan rallied past Martin Damm 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to record his 50th tour-level hard-court win, and Benjamin Bonzi defeated Rinky Hijikata 6-1, 6-1.
Fery described his victory over Rottgering, a sophomore at host school Wake Forest University, as a demanding match and said he was pleased to finish it in straight sets. He added that he feels fit after a busy stretch and welcomed more court time ahead of the US Open next week. With his current form, Fery is undoubtedly a player to watch as the tournament progresses.