The Grand Finals of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) are set to unfold in London this week, promising an exciting conclusion to the tennis season. As the sport seemingly enters a brief hiatus until the exhilarating start of the Australian Open in the coming month, this innovative and bold tennis format, created by esteemed coach Patrick Mouratoglou, aims to engage a younger audience. The UTS Finals in London are poised to provide fans with a festive highlight, capping off a memorable year in tennis.
WHAT IS UTS?
The UTS format comprises matches with four quarters, each lasting 8 minutes, plus the time of a hypothetical Sudden Death. The timer halts during the 3-minute changeover at the end of each quarter. A player wins the match by securing 3 Quarters (QTs). If both players are tied at 2 QTs each, the 5th QT is played in a ‘Sudden Death’ format, where the first player to win two consecutive points wins the match, and every point from the second point onward is a match point during Sudden Death. There is no warm-up; players enter the court, and the match starts immediately. Players serve two points each during a quarter, with one serve allowed per point. Missing the serve results in losing the point. Bonus cards, used once per quarter during regular time, can triple the count of the next point, applicable only to the player using the card.
WHO IS TAKING PART?
Denmark’s Holger Rune and Great Britain’s Jack Draper are wildcard entries for the UTS Grand Final in London. They will be joined by Russia’s Andrey Rublev, France’s Gael Monfils, Norway’s Casper Ruud, and Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik. Also in the field are France’s Benoit Paire and Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, adding excitement to the lineup.
