Young guns Rune and Draper to clash as UTS Grand Final groups announced

A mouthwatering clash heads the action as the group stage for the UTS Grand Final has been confirmed

November 27, 2023

With the UTS Grand Final in London just over a fortnight away (15-17 December), the groups have been announced for the season-defining event.

Headlining Group B will be the clash between UTS London’s two youngest contestants, 21-year-old Jack Draper “The Power” and Holger Rune “The Viking”, aged 20, two of the faces that are set to define the future of tennis.

Both players are huge hitters of the ball, with Rune having recently made the Nitto ATP Finals where he pushed finalists Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner to deciding sets, while Draper, home favourite, comes in off the back of the a final run in the Sofia tournament and a close Davis Cup loss to Novak Djokovic’s Serbia.

Tennis Majors

Draper is making his UTS debut in London, with Rune returning to the Tour for the first time since 2020, when he started his pro career as a 17-year-old with a one-match appearance.

The tournament will see the best eight players from the year competing in two groups of four, with the top two from each group moving on to the Final Four stage.

The groups for UTS London are as follows:

Group A

Andrey “Rublo” Rublev
Casper “The Iceman” Ruud
Diego “El Peque” Schwartzman
Benoit “The Rebel” Paire

Group B

Holger “The Viking” Rune
Jack “The Power” Draper
Alexander “The Bublik Enemy” Bublik
Gael “La Monf” Monfils

Rublo will enter Group A as the man to beat, having won the most recent UTS event in Frankfurt. All eyes will also be on a juicy rematch between Paire and Schwartzman, as the pair met earlier this year at UTS Los Angeles, where El Peque won 3-2, with the match going to sudden death.

Another rematch will be on the cards in Group B, with Bublik and Monfils rekindling their rivalry from UTS Los Angeles, where La Monf clean-swept the Bublik Enemy 3-0.