Ultimate Tennis Showdown London Grand Final Round-Up| Alex De Minaur claims historic third title over Casper Ruud

Following the conclusion of the group stage of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Grand Final London, the four semifinalists who took to the court this Sunday were defined. World No. 7 Alex de Minaur imposed his status as favorite to advance to the final, defeating Ugo Humbert in straight quarters.

Later, 3-time Grand Slam runner-up Casper Ruud secured a tight win in Sudden Death against Andrey Rublev to set a date with De Minaur for the title. In the final, the Australian showed why he has a superior ranking and ended up taking the win, becoming the first player with three UTS trophies (Antwerp 2020, London 2024, 2025).

The Australian did not face a particularly complicated mission in his first duel. After advancing as the runner-up of Group A (behind Rublev), he faced Frenchman Humbert, an indoor-hardcourt specialist who came from leading Group B. However, it was not too difficult a task for the World No. 7, who had no problems securing the victory.

The Australian pulled out a wide advantage against his rival, securing the most convincing victory of his participation in the tournament so far, with a win by 15-13, 18-13, 18-9 without complications. De Minaur advanced to a UTS final for the fourth time and was aiming for the Grand Final trophy in London for the second consecutive year.

Casper Ruud managed to advance to the semifinals as the runner-up of his group, despite having suffered a defeat in Sudden Death against Francisco Cerúndolo—who was already eliminated—in the first match. He faced an inspired Rublev, the only player to advance undefeated from the Round Robin. Rublev took the advantage quickly in the first quarter, taking the lead 17-9.

In the second quarter, Ruud responded in a somewhat tighter contest that ended up being decided in the final points. Heading into the third quarter, Rublev again gained a wide lead to take the front, with a 10-point advantage over his rival. However, Ruud responded once again to force the fourth quarter and eventually sent everything to Sudden Death, where the Norwegian took advantage of the momentum and ended up taking the victory 9-17, 15-11, 7-17, 17-11, [2-0].

The final match between De Minaur and Ruud saw the Norwegian take the advantage in the first quarter. After starting with a 4-0 lead, he managed to withstand his rival's attacks and secure the first quarter 15-11. However, from that point on, "The Demon" [De Minaur] was dominant, maintaining the lead throughout the following quarters. In an impressive finish, he ultimately took the win and the trophy with scores of 11-15, 15-10, 15-11, 16-7.

They will face each other again in one month at the United Cup, where Australia and Norway were drawn into the same group, alongside New Zealand. This will be a revenge opportunity for Ruud, who is 0-2 against De Minaur in official matches, and the Australian now adds a victory from the UTS final.