Arthur Fery beat James Duckworth at the Cincinnati Open in his first match since his memorable run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The 24-year-old won 6-4 2-6 7-6 (4) in two hours and 34 minutes, although fellow Briton Cameron Norrie later bowed out following a three-set defeat to top seed and 2021 champion Alexander Zverev in a match finishing at gone 2am local time.
Fery arrived in Ohio ranked 36 in the world, a meteoric rise having been outside the top 150 at the start of the grass-court season and 114th going into Wimbledon as a wild card.
The right-hander took some time off after what he admitted was a “life-changing fortnight”, before undertaking a training block at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.
Seeded 32nd at only his second Masters 1000 event – and the first he has entered directly through ranking – Fery broke Australian veteran Duckworth in the first game, only for a couple of foot faults to cost him in the next. He snatched a second break with a backhand passing shot for 5-4 on his way to the first set.
But Duckworth, the world number 86, began the second set strongly by winning the first three games and broke Fery’s serve again at 5-2 to level the match.
Fery failed to convert the only break point of a tense third set, but won four straight points in the tie break to seal his progress to face another Australian, fifth seed Alex De Minaur, in the next round.
Norrie was up against it having lost all of his seven matches against Zverev, who hit back from losing the opening set to continue his dominance over the left-hander with a 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory in two hours and 35 minutes.
Novak Djokovic was also playing his first tournament since reaching the last four at Wimbledon, and the 24-time grand slam champion suffered a shock defeat.
The Serbian, who won the title the last time he played Cincinnati in 2023, took the first set against Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante.
But Djokovic, 39, struggled in the humid conditions - later saying he believed an underlying health condition was to blame - and went down 2-6 6-4 6-4 to the world number 50 in a big blow to his US Open preparations.
He said: “It's just a condition that I have, health wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years. [It causes] a lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot.”
“I think this is the best win of my career,” said Tirante. “I think I really did a good job. I managed very well the nerves of playing against a legend like Novak.”
In the WTA draw, Britain’s Katie Boulter was beaten 6-3 6-3 by Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.
