Fery vs. Musetti: US Open First-Round Match Preview, How to Watch, Odds

bet365 News Team Updated: 17 hours ago

Lorenzo Musetti faces a challenging first-round match at the US Open against Arthur Fery. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two players.

The 2026 US Open is set to begin, with Italian tennis facing a mix of high-profile absences, anticipated returns, and tough draws. While the big name missing from New York will be Jannik Sinner, another Italian star, Lorenzo Musetti, is making his return to Grand Slam action after a long hiatus. The Carrara native has not played in a major since the Australian Open last January.

Due to physical issues, the Tuscan player was forced to withdraw from both the 2026 French Open and Wimbledon. Now, Musetti is ready to restart his campaign in New York, but the draw has not been kind. He will face Arthur Fery, who enjoyed a surprisingly strong season on grass.

This matchup against the Frenchman serves as a significant test for Musetti, not only because of his opponent's quality but also as a measure of his own comeback progress. Adding to the intrigue, the two have never played each other before.

Match Location, Date & Time

Location: Flushing Meadows, New York
Date: September 1, 2026
Time: 12:10 PM ET

Lorenzo Musetti's Recent Form

Lorenzo Musetti's 2026 season began on a high note. He broke into the ATP top 5 for the first time after reaching the final in Hong Kong, where he defeated Andrey Rublev before falling to Alexander Bublik. He carried that momentum into the Australian Open, reaching his first-ever Grand Slam quarter-final with a victory over Taylor Fritz before being forced to retire against Novak Djokovic while leading by two sets.

His return from injury proved difficult. After an early exit at Indian Wells, Musetti also struggled on clay, bowing out in the quarter-finals in Barcelona and the round of 16 in Madrid and Rome. In the Italian capital, his loss to Casper Ruud was compounded by a new muscle problem, forcing him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon and causing him to drop out of the top 10.

However, his return to the tour in Washington, over two months after his last match, immediately yielded a quarter-final appearance, where he lost to Rafael Jódar. New York now presents an opportunity for Musetti to regain consistency and try to rediscover the form he showed at the start of the year.

Arthur Fery's Rise in 2026

The year 2026 has marked a definitive breakthrough for Arthur Fery. At the Australian Open, he came through qualifying to eliminate 20th seed Flavio Cobolli in the first round, securing his second Grand Slam match win and improving his ranking to a career-high No. 152.

He made his Masters 1000 debut in Miami, but his real turning point came on grass. At Queen's Club, he reached his first ATP quarter-final. A few weeks later, as a wildcard at Wimbledon, he advanced all the way to the semi-finals, where his run was ended by Alexander Zverev. Fery comes into the US Open fresh off a final appearance in Winston-Salem, where he lost to Ignacio Buse.

About the US Open Venue

The US Open is held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, located in Flushing Meadows Park in the Queens borough of New York City. The complex spans 46.5 acres, with an additional 11 acres in the adjacent park, and features 22 tennis courts. The main court is Arthur Ashe Stadium, which can hold up to 23,771 spectators, making it the largest tennis-specific stadium in the world.

The court surface is Laykold, which replaced DecoTurf in 2020. It has unique properties that result in lower friction and a lower bounce compared to other hard courts. In addition to the tournament courts, the facility includes 16 other courts—12 indoor and 4 clay—for public use. Since 2006, the entire complex has been named in honor of champion Billie Jean King, who won 16 titles at the event in various categories from 1964 onward.