De Minaur edges past Fery 7-5 7-6 in Cincinnati second round

Alex de Minaur needed every bit of his resilience to see off Arthur Fery 7-5 7-6 in the Cincinnati round of 32, a tight straight-setter decided by a single break in the opener and a tiebreak in the second. Neither man found rhythm on first serve, the Australian landing just 54.2 percent and Fery 55.1, so the margin came behind the second delivery: de Minaur won 71.1 percent of those points to the Briton's 57.5. Nine aces against five and matching totals of three double faults underlined how fine the gap was. For de Minaur, it was a hard-earned place in the third round.