Buse Beats Fery in Winston-Salem Final, but Briton Leaves as New British Number One
Arthur Fery lost the Winston-Salem Open final to Peru's Ignacio Buse, going down 6-3 6-2 in straight sets on 29 August 2026. But the 24-year-old Briton leaves North Carolina as the new British number one, rising to a career-high world ranking of 33.
Buse, 22 and seeded third at the ATP 250 event, became the youngest ever winner of the Winston-Salem Open. The title is his second on the ATP Tour — the main men's professional circuit — after he beat American Tommy Paul to win the ATP 500 event in Hamburg in May. He collected $43,280 and 250 ranking points for the victory; Fery earned $23,260 as runner-up (Winston-Salem Open).
Fery, seeded fourth, had reached the final when his semi-final opponent, James Duckworth, retired from their match. Buse's path was more demanding: he beat France's Benjamin Bonzi 6-2 4-6 6-1 in the last four, having ground through a quarter-final that lasted two hours and 48 minutes (ATP Tour).
What makes Fery's run stand out is the speed of the climb. Eight weeks ago he sat outside the world's top 100. Now he has overtaken Cameron Norrie — until last week the long-standing British number one — and sits inside the top 35. A Wimbledon semi-finalist in July, Fery arrived in Winston-Salem as the first Briton ever to reach the final of the tournament, which has been held annually in North Carolina since 2011 (BBC Sport).
The final itself was a routine afternoon's work for Buse. He broke Fery's serve early in the first set — a break point is a chance to take the server's game — and never relinquished control. The second set followed a similar pattern, Buse pressing on return while Fery struggled to find the first serves that had carried him through the earlier rounds.
Both men now head to the US Open, the year's final Grand Slam, which began at Flushing Meadows on 24 August. Fery, making his main-draw debut at the tournament, faces a stern opening test against 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the first round.
Fery is one of nine British players in the main draws in New York. The men's contingent includes Cameron Norrie, Jan Choinski, qualifiers Toby Samuel and Harry Wendelken, and lucky loser Jacob Fearnley — a player who enters the draw when someone withdraws. The women are represented by Katie Boulter and qualifiers Fran Jones and Harriet Dart. Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu both miss the tournament through injury (BBC Sport).
For Fery, the Winston-Salem final was a lost match but a found milestone. Eight weeks outside the top 100, now British number one. The US Open draw did him no favours, but the ranking beside his name has changed for good.
