Arthur Fery wins two games in straight-sets defeat to new world No 1 Alexander Zverev
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Britain’s Arthur Fery suffered further punishment at the hands of Alexander Zverev as he was emphatically beaten in the quarter-finals of the Erste Bank Open.
Fery’s remarkable run to the semi-finals of this year’s Wimbledon as a wild card entrant ended in a straight-sets defeat to eventual runner-up Zverev.
The 24-year-old has struggled to reproduce the form he showed during the summer and was again outclassed by the top seed on Friday in Vienna, losing 6-0 6-2.
Reigning French Open and US Open champion Zverev is set to replace Jannik Sinner as world number one on Monday.
The 29-year-old, who will become the second German man to top the rankings after Boris Becker in 1991, hit 19 winners as he breezed through in just 59 minutes.
Zverev revealed he had struggled to sleep on Thursday night after securing his rise above Sinner in the global standings by beating Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the last 16.
He will face either Matteo Berrettini or fifth seed Alex de Minaur in his 12th semi-final of the year.
“I definitely felt good,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “I think Arthur is a bit of a different opponent than I had yesterday, he doesn’t have the same firepower but he plays tactically extremely well and he’s extremely fast.
“I feel like when I have the ball on the racket like that it’s just a good day for me. He has the score 6-0 6-2 but he shouldn’t put himself down too much, he’s 35 in the world, it’s his first full year on tour, and he’s doing amazing things.
“For him, I hope he keeps his head up and continues the work he’s doing.”
Earlier, Carlos Alcaraz booked his place in the semi-finals with a hard-fought straight-sets victory over seventh seed Tommy Paul.
The world number three progressed 6-4 7-6 (2) in an hour and 50 minutes.
Seven-time grand slam champion Alcaraz, who has now won his past 24 matches at ATP 500 level, will face Daniil Medvedev for a place in the final.
Russian Medvedev defeated Adrian Mannarino 6-2 6-3, securing his qualification for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin in the process.
PA
