Arthur Fery Battles Into Winston-Salem Semi-Finals Ahead of US Open Debut

Arthur Fery reached the semi-finals of the Winston-Salem Open on Thursday, fighting past Aleksandar Kovacevic 3-6 7-5 6-3 in North Carolina.

The fourth seed — a seeding that protects top players from meeting early in a draw — dropped the first set and trailed in the second before turning the match on its head. From 5-5 in the second set, Fery won five games in a row, sweeping through the remainder of that set and carrying the momentum into the decider. He closed out the third 6-3 to seal his place in the last four.

It is Fery's first semi-final appearance since his run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July — a result that lifted him into the world's top 40 for the first time. He is now ranked 37th.

The 2026 season has been a breakthrough year for Fery, whose three tour-level quarter-finals have all come since mid-June. His run to the last eight in Winston-Salem marked his first on hard courts, following a 6-3, 6-3 win over an opponent in the previous round.

Standing between Fery and the final is Australia's James Duckworth, who reached the semi-finals by defeating 15th seed Fabian Marozsan 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-4. Duckworth lost a tight first set on a tiebreak — the format used when a set reaches 6-6, settled by a race to seven points — but responded by dominating the second and grinding out the third.

Fery will take confidence from recent history. He beat Duckworth in Cincinnati earlier in August, giving him a head-to-head edge heading into their Winston-Salem rematch.

Kovacevic's own run to the quarter-final was notable in its own right. He upset seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 earlier in the tournament — a statement win against one of the tour's established names — and was appearing in his 10th ATP Tour quarter-final.

Beyond Winston-Salem, Fery has his sights set on an even bigger stage. He has qualified for the US Open for the first time, with the main draw beginning at Flushing Meadows next week. The draw has paired him against 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the opening round — a tough assignment, but one Fery will approach on the back of the best hard-court form of his career.

For a player whose summer began on the grass of Wimbledon, the transition to hard courts — the fastest, flattest surface in the game — has come together quickly. Winston-Salem, the last ATP event before the year's final Grand Slam, is exactly where a rising player wants to peak.