Dazzling Draper Beats Ruud At UTS Grand Final To Set Up Final Rune Clash

| by Erik Virostko

Jack Draper is proving his talent this week at the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Grand Final in London, as he defeated yet another opponent, this time Casper Ruud in the semifinal.

The British player was really convincing during the round-robin stage of the tournament, and after Holger "The Viking" Rune beat Andrey "Rublo" Rublev, Jack "The Power" Draper took on Casper "The Ice Man" Ruud for the last final spot.

Ahead of the tournament, the Brit talked about leaving an image of an injured player behind him during the 2024 ATP season, but he's managing to do that already during the off-season.

At the UTS Grand Final in London, he was the most dominant player in the group stage, and his semifinal match against the Norwegian wasn't any less impressive, as he won once again in three quarters.

Rune Shocks Previously Undefeated Rublev In Heated UTS Grand Final Clash
Rune Shocks Previously Undefeated Rublev In Heated UTS Grand Final Clash

The first quarter was very close and the deciding point had to decide when the score was tied at 13-13. Draper won the point, winning the opening quarter 14-13.

In the second quarter of the match, the players once again reached a point where a deciding point had to decide the quarter, but this time, the scoreboard showed 11-11. However, once again, it was Draper who won it, winning the quarter 12-11.

They say "third time the charm" but that wasn't the case for Ruud, as in the third quarter of the semifinal match at the 2023 UTS Grand Final in London, the deciding point had to be used once again, this time at 13-13, and once again, the British player won it.

That meant that Draper won the match 14-13, 12-11, 14-13, securing his spot in the final and a rematch with Holger Rune, who he managed to beat during the round-robin stage of the exhibition tournament played under special rules.

Women's World No. 57 Andreeva Loses To Men's World No. 1145 At Exhibition In France
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