Arthur Fery gives Alex de Minaur stern test before bowing out in Cincinnati

The most pertinent question surrounding the rapidly blossoming career of Arthur Fery is exactly how far he could possibly take his game. Fery’s unexpected breakthrough run at Wimbledon last month was immense, but now he faces the intriguing challenge of seeing how he stacks up against the elite over the course of a gruelling 52 weeks on tour.

Fery ended his first tournament since Wimbledon with countless reasons to be positive about his progress even as he was outperformed by Alex de Minaur in a rain-swept encounter, with Fery, the 32nd seed, making life incredibly difficult for the fifth seed for more than two hours and fighting desperately until the end before falling 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the third round of the Cincinnati Open.

This was a tight encounter even once De Minaur took control. Fery began serving well but, after not facing a break point in his first five service games, one loose game on his serve allowed the Australian to break through.

De Minaur, who was cheered on from his player box by his wife and Fery’s fellow British No 2 Katie Boulter, returned from the rain delay between the first and second sets on fire, his supreme defensive skills narrowing the court and exposing Fery’s relative lack of raw firepower. However, a rain delay at 5-7, 1-5 allowed Fery to regroup and he returned from the break completely relaxed and striking the ball beautifully as he dragged De Minaur into a tie-break before surrendering the match.

Fery leaves Mason, Ohio, having put together another strong week filled with valuable experiences. Exactly a year ago, the 24-year-old won his first ATP Challenger title in Barranquilla, a monumental result in his career. Here, he reached the third round of a Masters 1000 with only one win, a bruising 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4) victory over James Duckworth after receiving a first-round bye. He still earned nearly as many points – 50 to 75 – for one win in Cincinnati and his prize money of $36,110 here, his biggest paycheck outside his three grand slam main-draw appearances, is $22,000 greater than his earnings in Colombia.

When players first reach the top level of the ATP or WTA tours, one significant adjustment is understanding that they will not win as many matches as they are used to, but they are still performing at a much higher level. Fery’s victory over the world No 86, Duckworth, was by ranking the sixth-best win of his career. Competing regularly against players of De Minaur’s quality is what will allow him to continue to progress as a player.

Such is the uncertainty of tennis scheduling, Fery and De Minaur already had to wait around for hours as Flavio Cobolli, the seventh seed, completed his two-hour, 29-minute comeback win against Alexander Blockx.

Once they finally made it to the court, they played less than two games before rain forced them off. Fery and De Minaur returned to stiflingly humid conditions, with both players sweating profusely and trying to remain as fresh as possible in a physical match.

Fery looked comfortable early on, taking care of his service games well as he constantly looked to take the ball early, dictate from the baseline and conjure opportunities to close down the net. The margins at this level, however, are so narrow. Fifty minutes into the match, with the score tied at 5-5, De Minaur took advantage of a couple of missed first serves from Fery, attacking from early in the first two points to lead 0-30.

A loose forehand error at 30-30 and then a forehand volley error off an excellent dipping passing shot from De Minaur were the difference between them. De Minaur, who had faced three break points earlier in the set, followed up the break with a quick love hold and Fery was suddenly down a set. By the time they sat down at the changeover, the skies opened again and rain forced them off the court.

There would be no positive momentum shift for Fery after the second rain delay, with De Minaur’s excellent defensive skills separating them as he eked out a series of tight games to establish a double-break lead in the set. With De Minaur leading 7-5, 5-1, they were forced off once more.

This time, the momentum could not have shifted more dramatically. Fery was suddenly commanding the baseline, controlling every point and dominating against an increasingly tense De Minaur. Fery incredibly reeled off five consecutive games from the rain delay to reach 6-5, but De Minaur regrouped with a timely hold before confidently closing out the match in a tie-break.

Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek continued to build her confidence and form on the court as she recovered from a set down to continue her title defence by reaching the fourth round with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 win over Maria Sakkari, the 29th seed. Elena Rybakina, the second seed, advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over Magdalena Frech. Earlier on Monday, Fery was announced as part of his second Davis Cup team, with Fery and Cameron Norrie leading the Great Britain team in their tie against Ecuador in the second round of the Davis Cup qualifiers next month at the Copper Box in London.