Arthur Fery admitted his serve “really let me down” after his long-awaited US Open debut ended in a straight-sets defeat.
The British No 1 was beaten 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 by world No 14 Lorenzo Musetti in a contest lasting just over two hours at Flushing Meadows.
Fery arrived in New York narrowly outside the positions required to earn a seeding and was handed a punishing first-round assignment against the talented Italian.
A downpour pushed the start back by around four hours, although conditions remained intensely humid when the players finally walked on to Grandstand.
Fery initially troubled Musetti with his movement and willingness to attack the net, mixing delicate drop shots with sharp volleys during a competitive opening spell.
However, the 24-year-old struggled to protect his serve and failed to capitalise whenever opportunities emerged on the other side of the court.
“Today, my serve really let me down,” Fery said afterwards.
“That was the biggest difference between us, I think.
“In the rally, I was going toe to toe, especially towards the end.
“I was starting to dominate the rallies from the back, and once the play got started, I felt better and better.”
Musetti used his one-handed backhand to devastating effect and frequently punished Fery’s eagerness to advance by sending carefully judged lobs over the 5ft 9in Briton.
The Italian offered Fery a possible route back into the contest when his serving level briefly dropped during the second set.
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Yet Fery was unable to take any of his four break points, with a series of unforced errors allowing Musetti to retain control.
The Briton finally broke twice during a determined fightback in the third, only to immediately surrender his own serve on both occasions.
His frustration boiled over when he received a code violation for an audible obscenity after falling 6-5 behind.
Fery nevertheless took encouragement from his ability to compete with an established top-15 opponent from the baseline.
He had reached his first ATP Tour final in Winston-Salem before travelling to New York, playing five matches and finishing his run only two days before his Grand Slam campaign began.
That schedule left little time to recover or practise at Flushing Meadows, but Fery insisted entering the tournament had been worthwhile.
“Would I sign for these past two weeks right now? Yeah, probably,” he said.
“It’s a lot of ranking points. It’s a first ATP final, so it’s good.
“Even though it meant that my preparation for the US Open was not great in terms of practising on site and resting.”
Having surged into the world’s top 40, Fery can now plan his calendar without the uncertainty of qualifying competitions.
He is expected to represent Britain against Ecuador in the Davis Cup in two weeks before turning his attention to tournaments in Tokyo and Shanghai.
Meanwhile, Toby Samuel will now attempt to reach the second round when he faces 19th seed Jiri Lehecka, while Katie Boulter meets Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova.
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