Arthur Fery on the brink of first ATP title after opponent retires at Winston-Salem Open

The Arthur Fery hype train continues to grow in spectacular fashion as he breaks more barriers following his stark rise in the sport. He reached a maiden ATP final at the Winston-Salem Open following his opponent James Duckworth retiring in the semi-finals as the Brit led 6-4, 1-2.

It is not the way he would have wanted to seal it, but a final is a final at the end of the day. Fery first made a huge impression at Wimbledon where his semi-final run exceeded any expectations and firmly put him as the main British hope with a number of its representatives currently struggling for form.

This seems not to be a fluke, but just stepping stone to other things. He secured his first ever Masters 1000 win in only his second ever tournament at the Cincinnati Open where he was seeded despite being ranked outside the top 100 only a couple of months ago. Alex de Minaur ended his venture in Ohio a round later.

It was straight to North Carolina where he was getting in that last minute preparation for the US Open, and a well earned debut at Flushing Meadows. He has done this in almost the perfect fashion with him one win away from lifting his first ATP title.

After getting a bye through the first round, the number seven seed got the better of young talents Cruz Hewitt and Mees Rottgering before coming back from a set deficit to defy Aleksandar Kovacevic. This set up a semi-final clash against Duckworth in a huge contest.

The first six games were comfortable holds with no real danger for either. The first break point went the way of Fery a game later but this was not converted as he started to ramp up the pressure. The next Duckworh service game brought up another chance, and this time it was taken as Fery won 12 of the final 14 points in set number one, holding to love to move within one set of the final.

It turns out that he would not need it. Duckworth took a medical timeout with a right leg related issue just after losing the first set, and attempted to soldier on. Saving a break point in the first game of the second set, Fery led 40-30 on serve to level at 2-2 before the 34-year-old opted to call it a day.

A disappointed Duckworth trudged away thinking what it could have been, but it was contrasting scenes on the other side of the court. After the match, Fery spoke of his delight to get through while wishing his opponent the best.

"I'm really happy to be in the final," Fery said. "Obviously, not the way I wanted it to end at all. I hope James is going to rest up and get ready for next week but very happy to be through. I played well in the first set. He was serving very well and tricky but managed to get the break and from then on I thought I was playing good. He was hindered at the start of the second set and I saw it. It's never easy playing someone who you know is physically challenged, but overall it felt good apart from that last forehand."

The job is most certainly not done yet. It will be Fery's toughest test in the final with the rising Ignacio Buse set to be a tricky challenge. The Peruvian came into the tournament just ahead of Fery in the rankings and has already enjoyed his title breakthrough this year on clay at the Hamburg Open.

However, his form has slightly gone off the rails as of late, getting back on track in Winston-Salem at the critical time ahead of a trip to New York. He got the better of Adam Walton, Daniel Altmaier, Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Benjamin Bonzi to reach this stage, with the 22-year-old determined to double his ATP title tally.

"It's going to be another tough match," Fery continued. "Ignacio is playing really well. He's a young guy who is breaking out so it's going to be a great match. Definitely a good week for both of us and I'm going to sit down with my coach and see what I can do to beat him."

Buse was ranked outside the top 130 this time last year, experiencing a similar rise to Fery but in contrasting fashions. While his was steady, Fery has exploded into the mainstream and seems to be enjoying life there, not fazed by the pressure or challenges in this current moment in time, riding the crest of the wave. Buse can break into the top 30 if he wins the final, with Fery looking to climb to a career high of 31st in the world. Both players will be seeded for the US Open, but only one can leave North Carolina victorious.