Arthur Fery reached his first ATP Tour final after James Duckworth retired with an injury during their Winston-Salem Open semi-final.
The 24-year-old Briton was leading 6-4 2-1 when Australian opponent Duckworth, who had taken a medical timeout after the opening set, was forced to forfeit the match.
Fery is the first British player to reach the final of the ATP 250 tournament. His breakthrough run in North Carolina continues an impressive rise that began with his surprise appearance in the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.
He has since climbed to a career-high world ranking of 33, overtaking Cameron Norrie to become British number one.
“I am really happy to be in the final,” said Fery.
“Not the way I wanted it to end at all. I hope James will get well soon and rest up for next week. But I am very happy to be through.”
Fery will face Ignacio Buse in Saturday’s final in North Carolina after the 22-year-old Peruvian defeated France’s Benjamin Bonzi 6-2 4-6 6-1.
Buse, ranked 36th in the world, is seeking his second title of the season after defeating Tommy Paul at the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg in May.
Fery’s rapid rise continues before US Open
Just eight weeks ago, before his remarkable run to the Wimbledon semi-finals, Fery was ranked outside the world’s top 100.
His first ATP final appearance against Buse comes ahead of next month’s US Open, where he narrowly missed out on a seeding.
Fery has been drawn to play Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the opening round at Flushing Meadows in New York.
