Ignacio Buse claims Winston-Salem title, defeats Arthur Fery

Arthur Fery’s breakthrough summer hit its first hard stop in North Carolina, as the Briton was outgunned by Ignacio Buse in the Winston-Salem Open final.

The Wimbledon semi-finalist, chasing a maiden ATP Tour title and a statement win ahead of the US Open, fell 6-3 6-2 to the 22-year-old Peruvian, who played with the swagger of a man in complete control of his game and his moment.

For Fery, this was still history. At 24, he became the first Briton to reach the final of the ATP 250 event in Winston-Salem and will climb to a career-high world ranking of 33 on Monday, overtaking Cameron Norrie as British number one. Eight weeks ago, he was outside the top 100. The rise has been dizzying. The final, though, was a reminder of how steep the climb remains.

Buse seizes the big stage

The opening exchanges hinted at a tight contest. Both men settled quickly, traded holds, and tested each other’s resolve from the baseline. Fery matched Buse for intensity early on, his first serve landing with purpose, his forehand punching holes in the Peruvian’s defences.

Then the match turned in a heartbeat.

Serving at 3-4, Fery blinked. Buse didn’t. The Peruvian ripped through a break to love, a brutal, clinical game that silenced any British momentum and handed him a 5-3 lead. The pressure had been building; that game detonated it.

Buse closed out the first set 6-3 with the composure of a player far more experienced than his age suggests. From there, he never loosened his grip.

The second set began badly for Fery and got worse. Buse broke early, then broke again, racing into a double-break lead as the Briton struggled to find any foothold. Fery did claw one break back, a brief flicker of resistance that drew a reaction from the crowd and hinted at the kind of fightback he produced at Wimbledon.

It didn’t last. Buse shut the door with ruthless efficiency, reeling off three straight games to finish the job and seal the title.

Youngest Winston-Salem champion

The victory carries real weight for Buse. At 22, he becomes the youngest champion in the history of the Winston-Salem Open and adds a second career title to his fast-growing résumé, backing up his win over Tommy Paul at the ATP 500 event in Hamburg in May.

This was not a fairytale underdog story. It was a young player confirming he belongs at this level, dictating from the baseline, returning aggressively, and refusing to allow Fery the emotional surges that had powered his Wimbledon run.

Fery’s new status, and a new test in New York

Defeat will sting, but the bigger picture for Fery is striking. From outsider to national standard-bearer in two months, he now arrives in New York as Britain’s leading man, seeded just outside the very top bracket and with expectations to match his ranking.

There is no time to dwell. The US Open starts on Sunday, and Fery will step onto the courts at Flushing Meadows for the first time in the main draw. His reward for this week’s run is a tough opening assignment: 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti, an Italian with flair, variety, and a taste for the big stage.

Fery will not be alone in carrying British hopes. He is one of nine players from Great Britain in the main draws. In the men’s field, Norrie, Jan Choinski, qualifiers Toby Samuel and Harry Wendelken, and lucky loser Jacob Fearnley join him. In the women’s draw, Katie Boulter leads the charge alongside qualifiers Fran Jones and Harriet Dart.

Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, both missing through injury, will watch from afar as a new British number one tests himself under the lights of New York.

Wimbledon made Arthur Fery a story. Winston-Salem reminded him of the work still to come. Now the question is simple: can his summer surge survive the unforgiving glare of a Grand Slam fortnight in Queens?