De Minaur advances to Cincinnati quarter-finals after rain-interrupted victory over Fery
Arthur Fery’s late fightback halted as Alex de Minaur prepares to face winner of Fils-Lehecka clash
Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur has secured his place in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open, defeating Britain’s Arthur Fery 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) in a match heavily disrupted by inclement weather. The victory sets up a next-round encounter for De Minaur against the winner of the tie between Arthur Fils and Jiri Lehecka.
The contest was plagued by interruptions, with rain delays occurring before the start, after the first game, and following the conclusion of the opening set. De Minaur appeared poised to progress when he held a 5-1 lead in the second set, sitting just one game away from the last-16 stage.
However, a lengthy rain delay while trailing 5-1 allowed Fery to reset his momentum. Upon resumption, the British player broke De Minaur twice to take a 6-5 lead, threatening to overturn the Australian’s advantage. De Minaur, however, regained his composure to force a tiebreak, where his consistency proved decisive.
The result marks a significant step for Fery, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon earlier this year. His performance comes amidst a busy period for British tennis, with Fery recently named in the Great Britain Davis Cup squad for the home qualifying tie against Ecuador next month. He joins Cameron Norrie, Henry Patten, and Lloyd Glasspool in the selection.
Fery’s inclusion follows his contribution to Britain’s Davis Cup play-off against Poland in September 2025, where he defeated Olaf Pieczkowski in straight sets. The fifth spot in the Davis Cup team remains open, potentially available to Jack Draper if the former world No 4 can recover from an injury-hit season.
On the women’s side, defending champion Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak to eight matches by defeating Maria Sakkari. Swiatek recovered from losing the opening set to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, setting up a Round of 16 clash with France’s Diane Parry.
Swiatek’s form follows her triumph at the National Bank Open in Toronto less than a week prior, where she defeated Elena Rybakina. The Cincinnati Open serves as a key preparation event ahead of the US Open, which commences on 30 August 2026.
