Ultimate Tennis Showdown London Grand Final | Alex De Minaur and Francisco Cerundolo headline opening day victories

The first day of the UTS Grand Final has begun, with all eight players facing their initial matchups. The day saw convincing victories from Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev in their respective encounters. The most tightly contested match of the day took place between Casper Ruud and Francisco Cerúndolo, with the Argentine coming back from two "quarters" to one down to claim the win in sudden death.

The innovative tournament, which features unique rules and format, concluded its first day of Round Robin play. The stars are preparing to return to the court this Saturday for a doubleheader session, where each player will compete twice to determine the four semifinalists.

Matches are played in four "quarters" of eight minutes each, with side changes lasting only three minutes. The first player to win three quarters takes the match. If the players are tied at two quarters apiece, a 'Sudden Death' quarter is played, where the first player to win two consecutive points secures the victory.

The format also includes significant changes to make the game more dynamic, such as only one serve per point and the no-let rule. Furthermore, spectators are allowed to make noise during points, while players can use 'bonus cards' that provide advantages in the scoring system.

The first match of the day was by far the toughest competition. World No. 12 Casper Ruud—champion at UTS Nice—came in as a slight favorite against Cerúndolo (No. 21), the most recent UTS champion from Hong Kong. The Norwegian managed to take the lead after three quarters, but Cerúndolo came back to send the match into sudden death. After tense serving from both players, Cerúndolo ultimately secured the win: 12-11, 13-14, 11-15, 14-13, [4-2]. He currently sits in second place in his group due to a difference of points of -1.

Alex de Minaur (No. 7) demonstrated his favor as the only top-10 player in the draw, taking a comfortable victory against France's Adrian Mannarino (No. 69). The Australian took the lead in a tight first quarter, 13-12, and dominated from there, posting an impressive second quarter. The Australian stepped on the accelerator to secure the win 13-12, 16-6, 11-12, 14-12, returning with a victory to London, the same city where he won the 2024 Grand Final title.

Andrey Rublev perhaps delivered the most convincing performance of the day, with a straight-quarters victory against Tomas Machac (No. 32), leaving him comfortable for potential qualification. The Russian won 14-13, 17-10, 18-15 against the Guadalajara champion and Nice finalist. 'Rublo' lifted the UTS trophy in Oslo 2024 but has not delivered major performances in subsequent UTS editions, while Machac has reached the final in two of the last three. The wide point difference favors the Russian, while the Czech will need strong victories this Saturday to stay alive.

France's Ugo Humbert (No. 37) showed his ability to adapt to the indoor hardcourts and his skills as a specialist, securing a four-quarter victory 21-12, 18-17, 15-16, 17-15 against Belgium's David Goffin (No. 119). Humbert—a finalist in Frankfurt 2024—had no trouble starting with a win to take the group lead. A victory in his second match would practically guarantee him a spot in the semifinals.