British tennis player Arthur Fery has secured his place in his first ATP Tour final at the Winston-Salem Open. His opponent, James Duckworth, retired from their semi-final match due to injury while Fery was leading 6-4 2-1.
The 24-year-old's progression marks him as the first Briton to reach the final of this ATP 250 event. This achievement follows his unexpected run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.
Fery has also climbed to a career-high world ranking of 33, surpassing Cameron Norrie to become the British number one. He is set to compete against Peru's Ignacio Buse in Saturday's final in North Carolina. Buse, ranked 36th, reached the final after defeating Benjamin Bonzi 6-2 4-6 6-1.
Fery expressed his happiness about reaching the final, stating, "Not the way I wanted it to end at all. I hope James will get well soon and rest up for next week. But I am very happy to be through." This maiden ATP final appearance comes ahead of next month's US Open, where Fery will face Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the opening round.