Classy Casper Ruud opens clay court campaign in style winning UTS trophy in front of 12,500 fans in Nimes
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Shifting onto clay for the next instalment of UTS (Ultimate Tennis Showdown) action proved to be a masterstroke for one of the leading lights on the surface in Casper Ruud as he finally won his first title in the format on the sixth attempt.
UTS attracted not only the names but the fans to boot as they packed out the incredible Arena de Nimes amphitheatre with 12,500 people. He defeated Tomas Machac who replaced Taylor Fritz late on 12-13, 16-14, 15-14, 15-11 to end his unbeaten record.
Both semi-finals went to sudden death. Machac dropped one match point in facing Alex de Minaur but ultimately won through 12-13, 12-11, 6-20, 17-13, 2-1. Machac was the star of the weekend in many ways. He made his debut and won seven in a row before losing to Ruud.
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In doing so, it was the best ever debut in UTS. Despite Andrey Rublev's resurgence in his tie against Casper Ruud he succumbed to defeat. The Norwegian sealed it 14-11, 17-8, 13-15, 12-18, 3-2 also in sudden death.
The four players who also lost in the Quarter-Finals on Friday also took to the court in what were classification matches so dead rubbers but ones that counted for more in terms of the bonuses they would receive.
Alexei Popyrin beat Ben Shelton 15-9, 16-14, 14-13 as 'The Sniper' beat 'The Mountain' while before the final, they got home heroes Gael Monfils and Ugo Humbert duking it out. Both showmen gave the crowd their money's worth but it was Humbert who sealed it 12-19, 17-13, 19-6, 11-16, 2-0 before Ruud sealed the title.
Results as per UTS
Final
Ruud 12-13, 16-14, 15-14, 15-11 Machac
Semi-finals
Machac 12-13, 12-11, 6-20, 17-13, 2-1 De Minaur
Ruud 14-11, 17-8, 13-15, 12-18, 3-2 Rublev
Classification matches
Popyrin 15-9, 16-14, 14-13 Shelton
Humbert 12-19, 17-13, 19-6, 11-16, 2-0 Monfils
Casper Ruud lifting the UTS trophy in the Arena of Nîmes.
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