Arthur Fery's US Open Challenge and Bencic's Frustration

Naomi Broady has seen enough of Arthur Fery to know the honeymoon is over. The former British No.3 believes the 21-year-old has stepped into a very different world now – one where the opponents are bigger, the scrutiny sharper and the margin for error almost non-existent.

Fery’s US Open ended in the first round, beaten in straight sets by Lorenzo Musetti, a reminder of the gulf between excelling at ATP 250 level and surviving at a Grand Slam. Broady, though, views this as the start of the real test, not the end of a story.

“Arthur's going to be playing big guys now,” she said, laying down a clear challenge. “He's proven himself at the ATP 250 level but now people will start watching him and it becomes a cat and mouse of can he stay ahead of that. I wouldn't expect him to plateau and the next few months will be exciting. His ranking can still skyrocket.”

That is the bar. Stay ahead of the pack that is now actively scouting you. Adapt faster than they can adjust.

Fery Faces the Step Up

Musetti gave Fery a harsh but valuable lesson in New York. The Brit left the court with no illusions about what must change if he wants to live at this level rather than just visit it.

“I know what I have to work on,” Fery admitted after the defeat. “I got a lot of ideas coming straight off the court of what I have to work on to do better.

“My serve really let me down today, which is not usually the case, but I've been struggling a little bit to find my rhythm on the serve. Today was particularly a struggle, but definitely playing guys at that level, it's tough and the margins are small.”

That last line is the essence of Grand Slam tennis. The margins are small. One shaky shot, one off-day on serve, and a first-round exit replaces a dream run. Broady’s optimism and Fery’s own clarity create an intriguing mix: expectation with a very specific to-do list.

Rain, Backlogs and Frayed Schedules

The tennis itself has had to fight for space on a rain-hit Tuesday. New York’s weather turned stubborn, and the schedule buckled.

Rafael Jodar and Alex de Minaur were among those left in limbo, their matches against Yunchaokete Bu and Andrea Guerrieri wiped off the day’s order of play. They were just two of six matches cancelled as the tournament’s busiest stretch collided with a soaked schedule.

The result is a backlog the organisers now have to untangle on the fly. Crammed days, quick turnarounds, and little room for delays will shape the next phase of the event. The forecast offers some relief: sunshine is expected to return later in the week, promising a more familiar hard-court rhythm after a stuttering start.

Bencic’s Flashpoint

On another court, tension briefly threatened to boil over into something far more serious.

Belinda Bencic, seeded 12th, crashed out in the first round to Yulia Putintseva. Frustration took hold in the second set. After losing a game, the Swiss star fired her spare ball into the crowd – an impulsive act that instantly carried heavy risk.

She escaped with a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. No more, no less. Given recent history, she can consider that a narrow escape. Players have been disqualified in the past for striking balls into the stands, particularly when a spectator ends up on the receiving end.

This time, Bencic walked away with a defeat and a warning rather than a headline-grabbing default. The line, though, remains thin, and every player on tour knows it.

The rain will clear, the schedule will tighten, and the stakes will rise. For Fery, for Bencic, for those still waiting to hit a ball in anger this week, the US Open is already asking hard questions. The real issue now is who has the answers when the sun finally comes out.