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Britain’s Arthur Fery marked his return to the court with a gritty 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 win over Australia’s James Duckworth at the Cincinnati Open, his first victory since a startling run to the Wimbledon semi-finals — but the day’s headline belonged to the man who lost. Novak Djokovic was beaten 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante in the second round, then revealed a health condition that has dogged him for years and left him doubting whether he will ever play in Ohio again.
Fery digs in to set up De Minaur test
Fery needed two hours and 34 minutes to see off Duckworth, a contest that swung one way and then the other before tightening into a nerve-shredding decider. The Briton took the opener 6-4, was pegged back as Duckworth levelled the match with a 6-2 second set, and then found himself locked in an attritional third in which neither man could force the decisive break.
Fery failed to convert the only break point of the set, but held his composure when it mattered most. In the tie-break he reeled off four straight points to close out the win, sealing progress with the kind of clarity that had deserted him in the earlier exchanges.
The reward is a considerable step up. Fery next faces fifth seed Alex de Minaur, another Australian and a top-10 fixture, in a match that will measure just how far his summer surge can carry him. For a player who arrived at Wimbledon largely unheralded and left it a semi-finalist, the challenge is now to prove that run was a foundation rather than a one-off.
Djokovic undone by the heat — and something deeper
Djokovic, playing his first match since Wimbledon, began brightly and took the first set 6-2. But from around the midway point of the opener he visibly wilted in Cincinnati’s oppressive heat and humidity. He slumped to his hands and knees, appeared to be sick at one stage, and required a medical timeout midway through the second set as Tirante, ranked well outside the world’s elite, grew in belief.
The Argentine held his nerve to take the second and third sets by identical 6-4 margins, completing one of the biggest wins of his career against a 24-time Grand Slam champion. It was, by Djokovic’s own admission, a struggle from the moment his body began to betray him.
“Not an enjoyable match for me,” Djokovic said afterwards. He explained that he has been managing a health condition for “the past couple of years” that flares up “especially when it is humid and it is hot”, and becomes almost impossible to cope with once humidity climbs to around 80 per cent — precisely the conditions he encountered on court. Asked whether he would return to Cincinnati, the Serb offered a downbeat reply: “I certainly hope so, but it looks more likely not, unfortunately.”
What it means as the US Open looms
The timing is awkward. Cincinnati is the last significant tune-up before the US Open, and Djokovic will now head to New York with barely a competitive set of match sharpness and fresh questions about how his body will hold up over best-of-five tennis in late-summer heat. He has built much of his late-career greatness on physical durability; a condition that leaves him vomiting on court in humid conditions strikes directly at that foundation.
For all that, writing off a player of Djokovic’s calibre on the strength of one physically compromised afternoon would be premature. He has answered similar doubts before, and the cooler evening sessions at Flushing Meadows may suit him better than a searing Ohio afternoon. The concern is less about a single defeat than about a recurring vulnerability he has now made public.
Tirante, meanwhile, earns a signature result to build on, and the draw opens up for those in Djokovic’s quarter. The contrast across the two matches was stark: one established champion confronting the limits of his own body, and two players — Fery on the rise, Tirante seizing his moment — using the same tournament to push in the opposite direction. As the tour turns towards New York, Fery’s next assignment against De Minaur will show whether his breakthrough summer has real staying power.
**Sources:**
– [Djokovic out of Cincinnati Open after struggling with heat — Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/12110/13573406/novak-djokovic-out-of-cincinnati-open-in-second-round-after-struggling-with-heat-and-humidity-against-thiago-agustin-tirante)
– [Djokovic reveals ongoing health condition after Cincinnati defeat — Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/12110/13573671/novak-djokovic-reveals-ongoing-health-condition-after-defeat-in-cincinnati)
– [Djokovic reveals health issue after Cincinnati ouster — NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/tennis/novak-djokovic-reveals-health-issue-ouster-cincinnati-open-rcna592768)
– [Arthur Fery wins first match since Wimbledon semi-final run — Yahoo Sports](https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/arthur-fery-wins-first-match-075545579.html)
– [Fery survives Duckworth to set up De Minaur clash — Tennis Tonic](https://tennistonic.com/tennis-news/1042258/staunch-arthur-fery-survives-duckworth-in-the-2nd-round-to-clash-vs-de-minaur-cincinnati-results/)
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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