Great Britain's Jack Draper reigned supreme at the UTS Grand Final in London on Sunday (December 17), beating Holger Rune 12-14, 15-12, 13-10, 19-7 to win the title.
With his victory at the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Grand Final, the World No. 61 took home overall prize money of $546,800. The Brit received $77,000 each for his three group-stage wins and his semifinal victory. He was further incentivized with two separate amounts of $111,000 and $125,000 for winning the exhibition tournament and going unbeaten, respectively.
Jack Draper got off to a scintillating start to his UTS debut, defeating Holger Rune, Gael Monfils, and Alexander Bublik to win his group. In the last four, the 21-year-old beat Casper Ruud to extend his winning streak. He got the better of Rune in the championship match on the same day for the biggest payday of his career.
Earlier on Sunday (December 17), Holger Rune had defeated Andrey Rublev in what was a controversial match. The Russian expressed anger at the umpire for a mix-up in the bonus cards during his loss and was subsequently criticized for his behavior by the majority of the tennis universe.
For the uninitiated, UTS matches employ a different format compared to traditional competitive affairs on the pro tour. Matches are in a best-of-five format, with each set divided into 8-minute-long quarters.
A 'Sudden Death' decider is played if the players reach a 2-2 deadlock and the player who wins two points in a row first, takes the match. Another unique rule about the exhibition event is that players are allowed only one serve.
2023 UTS Grand Final London Results
Here is the full list of the results:
Group Stage - Day 1
Diego Schwartzman def. Benoit Paire 11-17, 14-13, 21-10, 16-17, [5-4]
Gael Monfils def. Alexander Bublik 14-12, 10-16, 16-7, 20-13
Andrey Rublev def. Casper Ruud 12-14, 19-8, 18-12, 18-9
Andrey Rublev def. Diego Schwartzman 15-13, 12-13, 13-12, 10-16, [4-2]
Jack Draper def. Holger Rune 16-8, 16-7, 17-11
Casper Ruud def. Benoit Paire 17-12, 18-9, 16-10
Group Stage - Day 2
Holger Rune def. Alexander Bublik 15-11, 12-18, 12-19, 15-14, [2-1]
Jack Draper def. Gael Monfils 10-0, 10-0, 10-0
Casper Ruud def. Diego Schwartzman 16-10. 7-16, 13-12, 17-8
Andrey Rublev def. Benoit Paire 26-10, 16-13, 19-12
Holger Rune def. Gael Monfils 17-9, 15-14, 9-19, 16-13
Jack Draper def. Alexander Bublik 12-11, 13-15, 13-13, 13-10
Semifinals
Jack Draper def. Casper Ruud 14-13, 12-11, 14-13
Holger Rune def. Andrey Rublev 20-10, 12-11, 16-11
Final
Jack Draper def. Holger Rune 12-14, 14-12, 13-10, 19-7