Fery's Queen's run ended by Cerundolo in narrow loss

Arthur Fery was bidding for a third career win over a player ranked inside the world's top 30

Britain's Arthur Fery narrowly missed out on another career milestone as he fell to world number 27 Francisco Cerundolo in three tight sets in the Queen's quarter-finals.

Fery, ranked 140th in the world, had already broken new ground by beating Adrian Mannarino to reach the last eight of an ATP Tour competition for the first time.

On Friday, he put himself on the brink of another step forward, battling back from a set and a break down against the Argentine on a sweltering day in London.

A spot in the semi-finals was in Fery's grasp as he led by a break in the third set - but Cerundolo rediscovered his rhythm to come through 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-4 in two hours and 39 minutes.

Despite the loss, Fery showed some impressive resilience as well as a thumping backhand that frequently beat his opponent.

The 23-year-old will also have gained good experience on the grass courts before Wimbledon - where he has been give a main-draw wildcard - begins on 29 June.

Fery's loss means there are no Britons left in the singles draw at the ATP 500 event.

Cerundolo, meanwhile, will face American Brandon Nakashima - who ousted top seed Alex de Minaur earlier - for a place in Sunday's final.

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Fery may not be well-known outside of British tennis circles but sport is a huge part of his family life - his mother, Olivia, was a professional player, while father Loic owns Ligue 1 football club Lorient.

As a teenager, Fery opted to go on a scholarship to Stanford University in California and also played collegiate tennis.

He lost just two games in his opening-round win over compatriot Toby Samuel at Queen's, before recording what he described as the "best result" of his career against veteran Frenchman Mannarino.

He and Cerundolo both made nervous starts, with numerous break point opportunities, but Fery broke to serve for the set at 5-4.

However, Cerundolo won the next three games and dominated the tie-break, with the only point Fery won in it coming from a double fault from his opponent.

Cerundolo broke to start the second set but took a painful hit at the net when Fery accidentally sent a volley straight into his throat.

The Argentine fell to the floor, with Fery hopping over the net to check on him - and the pair shared a wry smile as on the next point, Cerundolo came close to hitting Fery with a passing winner.

But from that moment on, Cerundolo's serve disappeared, and Fery restored parity before breaking to serve for the set.

A lovely serve and volley from Fery to force the deciding set established the tone, and a horrible double fault from Cerundolo handed the Briton the early initiative.

Cerundolo's experience showed, though, as he put enough pressure on his opponents' forehand to first break back and then secure victory on Fery's serve.

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