Arthur Fery Pushes Alex de Minaur to Three Sets in Cincinnati

Britain’s Arthur Fery saw his run at the dimers.com halted in the third round by fifth seed Alex de Minaur, who secured a 7-5, 7-6 (3) victory in a rain-affected men’s singles encounter on Monday, August 17, 2026. The match, held in Mason, Ohio, stretched across nearly five hours due to multiple stop-start weather delays that disrupted the rhythm of both players.

Arthur Fery Pushed to the Brink Before Falling to Alex de Minaur

Fery, playing in his first tournament since reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals in July, put up a fierce fight against the world No 7. The 24-year-old Briton found himself down a set and facing a 5-1 deficit in the second set before a rain delay at 7-5, 5-1 allowed him to regroup. Returning to the court completely relaxed, Fery mounted a remarkable comeback, winning five games in a row to break De Minaur twice and take a 6-5 lead. However, the Australian regained his composure to force a tie-break, where his quality ultimately prevailed to send him into the next round.

Rain Delays and Weather Disruptions in Mason, Ohio

The contest was heavily fragmented by weather interruptions. Rain delays occurred before the match began, after the first game, following the conclusion of the first set, and once again when De Minaur stood just one game away from victory at 5-1 in the second set. The stop-start nature turned a match clock of one hour and 41 minutes into a lengthy ordeal featuring 75 percent humidity in Cincinnati.

Before the pivotal second-set rain delay, Fery had carved out three break-point opportunities at 2-1 in the opening set, but De Minaur saved all of them, including firing two aces. Fery later dropped serve in a marathon game lasting longer than 10 minutes at 1-3 down in the second set before mounting his five-game surge.

Financial and Ranking Milestones for Fery

Despite the straight-sets defeat, Fery left Ohio with numerous positives from his week at the Masters 1000 event. Having received a first-round bye, he advanced to the third round following a bruising 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4) victory over James Duckworth—marking the sixth-best win of his career by ranking. Fery earned 50 ranking points and collected $36,110 in prize money, representing his largest paycheck outside of his three Grand Slam main-draw appearances and exceeding his earnings from his maiden ATP Challenger title in Barranquilla exactly a year prior.

Arthur Fery Pushes Alex de Minaur to Three Sets in Cincinnati — Photo: AOL.com

According to Sky Sports, De Minaur advanced to face the winner of Arthur Fils versus Jiri Lehecka for a place in the quarter-finals.

Davis Cup Call-Up for Great Britain

Earlier on Monday, Fery received further recognition when he was named to the Great Britain Davis Cup team for the upcoming home qualifying tie against Ecuador next month. GB captain Leon Smith selected Fery alongside Cameron Norrie and doubles specialists Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool for the fixture taking place at London’s Copper Box on September Theguardian. A fifth spot remains available, potentially reserved for Jack Draper if he recovers from an injury-ravaged year.