UTS Oslo preview: Ruud looking for home glory, de Minaur after revenge
With the 2024 UTS season beginning in Oslo this Friday, we look ahead to the tournament and outline everything you need to know
@ UTS
The 2024 UTS season kicks off this Friday, with eight of the most exciting players in tennis heading to Oslo for three days of jam-packed UTS action.
In what will be the most stacked UTS line up in history, and one of the biggest tennis tournaments ever held in Norway, there’s plenty to look forward to this weekend. Ahead of the first match, we break down everything you need to know about UTS Oslo.
Who is playing at UTS Oslo?
UTS will feature its biggest ever line up in Oslo this weekend, with six past or present top 10 players competing in the Norwegian event. Here’s an overview of who will be participating:
- Casper Ruud – “The Ice Man”
- Holger Rune – “The Viking”
- Andrey Rublev – “Rublo”
- Gael Monfils – “La Monf”
- Alexander Bublik – “The Bublik Enemy”
- Dominic Thiem – “Thieminho”
- Alex de Minaur – “The Demon”
- Benoit Paire – “The Rebel”
All eight of the field have competed in the UTS format previously, with Thiem returning for the first time since UTS 1, and de Minaur not playing since UTS 3.
What is the format of UTS Oslo?
Players are separated into two groups, in which they will play a round robin. The top two players from each group will then move through to the Final Four, with knockout semi-finals and final being contested.
Here are the groups for UTS Oslo:
Group A
- The Ice Man
- The Viking
- The Bublik Enemy
- Thieminho
Group B
- Rublo
- The Demon
- La Monf
- The Rebel
The tournament will be held across three days, with the Group Fights occurring on Friday and Saturday, and the Final Four contested on Sunday. Fans will be guaranteed to see all players in action at least once each day across both Friday and Saturday.
Who are the favourites in Oslo?
Coming into the tournament, we have just one past champion competing: Rublo. The Russian won UTS Frankfurt on his debut, navigating the event undefeated to lift his first trophy in the format.
However, Rublo will have hot competition from several other players this tournament. The Ice Man is playing at home and will be motivated to put on a good show for his home fans. The Norwegian has only ever played a handful of matches in his home country, so there will be added weight to the occasion for Ruud.
The Demon also heads to Oslo in sizzling form, having made his top 10 debut in 2024 and taken the scalps of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in January.
Throw in a few experienced hands on the UTS circuit such as La Monf, The Rebel and The Bublik Enemy, and this will be a hotly contested event.
Our prediction for the first UTS tournament of 2024
We have three hot predictions heading into UTS Oslo this weekend.
Ruud will thrive
Firstly, expect The Ice Man to have his best UTS showing to date. This will be Ruud’s third UTS event, and the Norwegian is slowly warming up to the format. In Frankfurt, he narrowly missed the Final Four despite a group record of 2-1. In London, he made the Final Four, but was downed by eventual champion Jack “The Power” Draper in the semi-finals.
This time, we say Ruud will go at least all the way to the final. Not just because he’s shown consistent improvement, but because he’ll be giving this tournament his everything, given the home connection he holds in Oslo.
The Demon is after revenge
Secondly, expect the Rublo v The Demon rematch to be heated. It’s a match that could well determine who tops Group B, and is a re-run of the 2024 Australian Open round of 16 match where Rublev won in five sets.
De Minaur’s style of play with a safe serve and brilliant fitness levels is perfectly matched to the UTS format. He’ll be motivated to make amends against Rublev, and could well take down the Frankfurt champion here in Oslo.
Now is Bublik’s time
Finally, expect The Bublik Enemy to finally make a Final Four appearance. The Kazakh is an absolute delight to watch on the UTS court with his mercurial play style and outrageous shot selection, but his results have been so close, yet so far away across his UTS career.
Coming into UTS Oslo, Bublik has just won the fourth title of his career in Montpellier, and will be high on confidence. While he’s sometimes struggled for consistency on the ATP Tour, we say he’ll channel this confidence into a good performance in Norway and finish in the top two of Group A for his first Final Four showing.
Tickets and order of play can be found on the UTS website, with play taking place at the Telenor Arena in Oslo, Norway from February 9 to 11, 2024.
