The last
edition of the
Ultimate Tennis Showdown provided a fun moment as Aleksander
Bublik nailed
Alex de Minaur in a game of Butts Up. The Kazakhstani tennis
player threw a ball from his side of the court, attempting to hit the players
on the other side who were crouched down with their backs turned.
Although De
Minaur was joined by
Andrey Rublev and
Gael Monfils, it was the Australian who
bore the brunt of Bublik's powerful shot, creating a curious moment that has
now gone viral on social media, shared by the official UTS account.
The UTS is
an exhibition tournament created by Patrick Mouratoglou, the former coach of
Serena Williams, Simona Halep, and Holger Rune, among others. In this
tournament, several of the world's best tennis players compete with various
rule changes compared to the regular Tour, aiming to provide a show where
points are played quickly and with predetermined times in each set.
The
tournament, which has been played in various cities across different
continents, also allows moments for players to joke and interact more with the
audience. Consequently, the UTS has produced entertaining moments, including
this nail by Bublik to De Minaur.
From glory
to upset: Bublik's dual present
The
talented Kazakhstani player had an outstanding week at the Open Sud de France,
securing the third title of his career. Along the way, he defeated players such
as Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Borna Coric in the final, also
achieving a career-best ranking of world No. 23.
The
26-year-old tennis player showcased impressive skills in France and traveled to
the ATP 500 Rotterdam as the 8th seed. In the first round, he once again faced
Coric, advancing to the round of 16 but experienced a surprising elimination
against Milos Raonic.