Jack Draper was better than everyone else at the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Grand Final in London, and he proved it against Holger Rune in the final match.
Jack “The Power” Draper defeat Holger “The Viking” Rune already during the round-robin stage, and the two players met once again, this time in the final of the competition.
The British player bested Casper “The Ice Man” Ruud in the semifinal, while the Dane outplayed until-then-undefeated Andrey “Rublo” Rublev to set up the final clash with the home crowd favorite.
The first quarter was a close one, as both players chose a very patient approach, with not many rallies played. The Brit eventually won it 12-10, earning an early lead in the match.
In the second quarter, Draper was the better player once again. This time, more points were played, but still, the home crowd pushed their player, who won the quarter 14-12.
After that, Rune, who didn’t win a single quarter in their round-robin match, finally found a way to counter his opponent. “The Viking” won the quarter 14-12 and made sure that all four quarters would be played in the final match, but he still wanted to push it into the sudden death.
However, in the final quarter of the match, the Brit was unstoppable, beating his opponent 18-7 to win the match in four quarters 12-10, 14-12, 12-14, 18-7, winning the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final.
Monetarily, it’s the biggest triumph of the 21-year-old’s career, who will receive $546,800 for his win, including a $125,000 bonus for going undefeated at the exhibition tournament in his hometown.
Draper will now hope to bring this kind of form to the 2024 ATP season, as he wants to avoid injuries in the following season. The season starts within two weeks, and with this kind of form, the Brit is one of the players to keep an eye on.
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