Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev set to headline UTS Hong Kong with the final qualification spots on the line for Grand Final

Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev will star in the upcoming UTS event in Hong Kong, with the Grand Final in London creeping closer.

The third edition of the competition in 2025 will be played on the 14th and 15th October with the order of play revealed as some of the biggest names in tennis look to confirm their place in the final, with three direct qualifiers set to join wildcards Jack Draper and Casper Ruud in London.

The first tie sees Francisco Cerundolo take on Adrian Mannarino. The Argentine is making his debut in the competion, and will need to go all the way if he has any chance of making it to the Grand Final. His opponent will return if he picks up just one victory, as he looks to continue his good form on the UTS stage after making a semi-final in Guadalajara earlier this year.

Following that will be 20-year-old Juncheng Shang facing off against 39-year-old Richard Gasquet. Similar to Cerundolo, the title is the only way Shang can qualify for the finals. He may have been a bit fortunate with the draw, with the Frenchman having stepped in for Jakub Mensik at the last minute due to a knee injury recently picked up. However it will not be an easy tie against the experienced Gasquet, who has previously reached the final stage on three separate occasions. If he reaches the final, he advances to London.

Next on the court will be the reigning champion and number one seed de Minaur, who just lost to Daniil Medvedev in the Shanghai Masters. he will be looking to get back onto winning ways, as he faces off against Chinese number one Zhizhen Zhang. It may be an uphill task for Zhang, who needs to win the event. As for de Minaur, a win will keep him in contention of featuring yet again.

The Hong Kong crowd will have to wait for the final match of the day to see their star Coleman Wong feature. It will be a rematch of the US Open third round, as he looks to take revenge against the number two seed Rublev after the Russian narrowly pipped him in five sets. Along with many other competitors, the title is the only route for Wong to continue his UTS journey. Rublev needs to win this tie to keep his hopes alive, with a final probably enough to see him qualify.

UTS is not the same as your standard match of tennis. It is broken down into four quarters lasting eight minutes. A three minute break will be offered between each quarter. The aim is to win three quarters, with a fifth quarter labeled 'sudden death' utilised if the score is level.

The players will not get the chance to warm-up on court, getting into the action straight away. One player will serve twice before their opponent gets a duo of serves, with that format continuing the whole match. Players must be wary on their serve, with second serves forbidden. Each player tries to rack up as many points as possible in each quarter. At the end, the player who finds themselves behind has the chance to draw level if they win how many consecutive points they are behind. If they lose a point, they lose the quarter. If he draws level, the victor of the deciding point clinches the quarter.

Bonus cards can also be played by the competitors. They have one to use each quarter, with the next point counting for three times its worth, only applying for the player who used it.

To qualify for the Grand Final, you must either earn enough ranking points to be in the top three or win an event, claiming the illustrious Zeus Trophy. Two wildcards will also feature, with Draper and Ruud being picked.