De Minaur Dominates UTS Grand Final, Secures Biggest Career Payday
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Alex de Minaur enjoyed a very successful three days of tennis in London, winning the 2024 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Grand Final.
The Australian player reached the final in Oslo and the semi-finals in New York, which qualified him for the UTS Grand Final in London, where he competed against seven other players.
All fought for the trophy, but also for their share of very high prize money distributed at the UTS Grand Final. Over $2 million was reserved for the players, with the winner pocketing the most.
In the round-robin stage, De Minaur started with a match against Holger Rune. He lost the first quarter of the match but stormed back in the next three to win 12-13, 21-6, 17-7, 25-5.
In his second match, the Australian player managed to outplay Jan Lennard Struff once again after losing the first quarter. He won the match 13-16, 18-11, 19-8, 21-6, to secure his semi-final spot.
He still had one more match left, and in that, he bested Alexander Bublik. The Kazakhstani player also managed to win a quarter against De Minaur, who ultimately emerged victorious, winning 20-9, 17-12, 13-14, 18-13.
As the winner of his group, he took on the second player from the other group in the semi-finals of the tournament. That player was Gael Monfils, who played some inspired tennis at the event but also struggled with an injury.
Still, the Frenchman carried on, but he didn't have enough to stop De Minaur, who was on a roll in London. He beat Monfils 10-14, 14-11, 15-8, 14-6, to secure the final at the event.
In the final, he met an opponent he knew very well. It was the first opponent that he faced at the UTS Grand Final in London, Holger Rune. The young Dane made the final after advancing from the group as the second player and then beating Ugo Humbert in the semi-finals.
However, De Minaur was once again the better player in their matchup, beating Rune 13-8, 14-11, 16-10, to secure the title at the 2024 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Grand Final.
Naturally, De Minaur was very happy about his win when talking about it with the trophy in his hand. He also admitted that at times, he almost couldn't resist singing with the crowd, as the UTS provides a really different atmosphere compared to traditional ATP tournaments.
"I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend in London. I think there were a lot of the Aussies in the crowd, felt a lot like home. It definitely has been the best season yet, but I don’t think it’s going to be the best season of my career."
"I want to keep on improving, keep on being better. I want to use everything I’ve learnt this year and put it towards 2025."
De Minaur certainly enjoyed not only three days of tennis but he will also enjoy the prize money that he won, which will amount to the most he ever won on a tennis court.
The Australian player pocketed $421,800 for his efforts and, on top of that, a $375,000 Grand Final Bonus. That amounts to $796,800 for winning the tournament.
