British tennis player Arthur Fery secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Winston-Salem Open on Thursday following a hard-fought three-set victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic in North Carolina.

The fourth-seeded competitor dropped the opening set before mounting a successful comeback to triumph 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Fery turned the momentum of the quarter-final match by stringing together five consecutive games late in the second set to level the score.

After securing the break required to take the second set, the 24-year-old established a commanding 3-0 lead in the decider. He maintained his advantage and served out the match to reach his first semi-final since his breakthrough run at Wimbledon in July.

Fery currently sits at 37th in the ATP world rankings, a position bolstered by his memorable summer performance at the All England Club. That previous success also earned him a direct entry into the upcoming US Open main draw for the very first time. Just missing out on a seeded spot for the tournament in New York, he faces a challenging opening-round match against 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti.

Looking ahead in North Carolina, Fery will meet James Duckworth in the semi-finals. The Australian advanced to the next round by overcoming Hungarian 15th seed Fabian Marozsan in a three-set battle. Fery previously defeated Duckworth earlier this month during tournament play in Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, heavy rain disrupted qualifying matches for other British players at Flushing Meadows on Thursday, causing multiple fixtures to be suspended and postponed until Friday. Jacob Fearnley was locked in a tight deciding set against Austria's Jurij Rodionov when play was halted, while Harry Wendelken held a lead in the second set of his match against Lithuania's Vilius Gaubas. Other British competitors, including Heather Watson, Harriet Dart, and Francesca Jones, were unable to take to the court due to the weather delays.

Despite the interruptions, Toby Samuel celebrated a major milestone by advancing to the main draw of the US Open for the first time. Samuel secured his spot when his opponent, Chile's Cristian Garin, retired from the match during a break in play.

Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC Sport. Read the original report at BBC Sport.