Sell-out crowds confirm the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in London has been a storming success and the decisive matches on Sunday are set to serve up some heavyweight clashes.
Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune have made it through to the final day of an event that offers a new brand of tennis and aims to take the sport to a younger audience.
The brainchild of tennis super-coach Patrick Mouratoglou, UTS is gathering momentum as it brings a fresh look to the sport and the final Sunday of this year’s competition will be a star-studded affair.
Rublev topped Group A and will play Rune who finished runner-up in Group B, while Draper came top in Group B and will take on Ruud in the second semi-final.
“I didn’t know what to expect coming in here, but it has been great. There is a lot of tension out there,” declared home favourite Draper.
“I’m very grateful to have been given the wildcard here and thanks to Patrick and his team for putting on such a great event in London.
“I love it. There are a lot of young kids in the crowd coming to support and it feels like they are behind me as I am playing at home.
“After missing the chance to play at home in the grass court season last summer, it’s great to get a chance to play in front of a home crowd again.”
Looking ahead to his match with Ruud, Draper added: “He is obviously an unbelievable player. Three Grand Slam finals and someone who consistently brings in good results. I back myself to play good tennis and if it’s good enough, then that’s great.”
#UTSLondon Final Four is locked in 🔐
• Semi final 1: Rublev – Rune at 4pm
• Semi final 2: Draper – Ruud at 5pm
👀 Final at 6.30pm
We’re so excited. You too?@excellondon is 95% full. Last tickets for this Sunday: https://t.co/l5VpCByysO
🇬🇧 Watch #UTSTour LIVE on… pic.twitter.com/MfnAtSKOmd
— UTS Tour (@uts_tour_) December 17, 2023
This may be an exhibition event at the end of the tennis season, but the four big names taking part will be competing for some big money in Sunday’s finale.
Draper has won all three of his matches so far and winning all five will give him a chance to win a cash windfall of $547,000.
It is a staggering sum of money for a player who won $737,907 in what was an injury-hit 2023 season.
Rublev could also be in for a major payday if he wins his two matches on Sunday and completes at perfect week at the UTS Grand Final.
The Russian is competing in his second UTS event of 2023 and that means he will be entitled to a bigger slice of the bonus pot than Draper, who is making his debut in the competition.
Rublev will collect a $250,000 bonus on top of the $422,000 he will be awarded for winning all of his matches and with that kind of money on offer, it seems certain that UTS will continue to attract some of the game’s biggest names in 2024.
Here’s how the final day of play is shaping up on Sunday, with three knockout matches to be played:
4pm–Semi-Final One (Ruvlev v Rune)
5pm–Semi-Final Two (Draper v Ruud)
6:30pm–Grand Final
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