Holger Rune was close to losing his second match at the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) Grand Final, but he eventually managed to beat Alexander Bublik.
On Friday, which was the first day of the Grand Final, both Holger “The Viking” Rune and Alexander “The Bublik Enemy” Bublik lost their first matches at the event, but thanks to the round robin format, they still had a chance to advance.
After a loss to an inspired Jack Draper, the Danish player wanted his revenge, but for a very long time, it seemed that he wouldn’t get it, despite having a good start.
In the first quarter of the match, Rune proved to be the better player, beating Bublik 15-11, but the Kazakhstani player soon turned the match around.
He won the second quarter 18-12 and the third quarter 19-12, and Rune was far from happy, which he showed also during the interview, which is part of every break between quarters at the UTS.
But despite showing his frustration earlier, the Dane never gave up, and he won the match in the closest possible way. First, he won the deciding point in the fourth quarter to win it 15-14, before both players fought in the sudden death.
First player to win two consecutive points win in the sudden death, and after his opponent won the first point, Rune managed to win the following two, winning the match 15-11, 12-18, 12-19, 15-14, 2-1.
Both will now have one more match to play, but Bublik doesn’t have a chance to advance anymore, so he will play his match against Jack Draper only for prestige.
On the other hand, match between Rune and Gael Monfils should be a direct showdown for a spot in the Final Four of the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final in London. Both of these matches will be played during the night session later on Saturday.
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