The Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) will host its inaugural Grand Final in London from December 15 to 17 and the draw for the event has been released.
For context, the last leg of the UTS Tour before the Grand Final was due to take place in Seoul at the start of December, but it has been postponed to 2024 due to logistical issues as stated on the tournament's website. Therefore, the organizers have filled up the last three spots for London.
The beneficiaries include Alexander Bublik, Benoit Paire, and Diego Schwartzman. The Grand Final will commence in a round-robin format, in groups of two, each containing four players. The top two players from each group advance to the semifinal.
Group A features the powerful Andrey Rublev (winner of UTS Frankfurt), Casper Ruud (a wild card entrant), Diego Schwartzman, and Benoit Paire. Group B is headlined by the energetic Holger Rune, British left-hander Jack Daper, the maverick Alexnder Bublik, and the showman Gael Monfils.
The three-day spectacle will begin on Friday, December 15, with two sessions, each featuring three matches. Some of the most exciting matches on Day 1, will include Rublev facing former Top 10 player Ruud, while two of the ultimate show ponies will lock horns when Monfils confronts Bublik.
Monfils and Bublik have previously met in UTS LA, where the Frenchman destroyed the Kazakh 3-0. Paire and Schwartzman are the two undercards in the group and will have the honor of opening play at the Grand Final. Each player will contest at least two group-stage matches.
British fans in London will be in full voice for one of their own when Draper, who recently returned to the world's Top 100, plays Rune, in a matchup to illuminate this tournament on Friday. Both players have entered this event as wild cards.
2023 UTS Grand Final Draw:
| Group 1 | Group 2 |
|---|---|
| Andrey "Rublo" Rublev | Holger "The Viking" Rune |
| Casper "The Ice Man" Ruud | Alexander "The Bublik Enemy" Bublik |
| Diego "El Peque" Schwartzman | Jack "The Power" Draper |
| Benoit "The Rebel" Paire | Gael "La Monf" Monfils |
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