Cerundolo claims maiden UTS title at inaugural Hong Kong tournament

Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo captured the first-ever UTS trophy in Asia on Wednesday, prevailing over American debutant Jenson Brooksby in the final of the event, whose official name is Chubb UTS Hong Kong with Humansa.

Cerundolo’s path to the title featured a dramatic quarterfinal comeback against France’s Adrian Mannarino, where he saved four match points, including an iconic net counterpunch that was widely hailed as the moment of the day.

In the semifinals, Cerundolo displayed remarkable composure and consistency, edging out two-time UTS champion Andrey Rublev in a tightly contested three-set match (16-11, 17-16, 18-15). He carried this momentum into the final, starting with an unmatched 12-0 run against Brooksby in the opening quarter.

The final unfolded over four quarters, with Cerundolo dominating the first and last (20-5, 10-12, 15-9, 17-7), sealing victory with an electrifying air smash reminiscent of iconic UTS highlights by Gaël Monfils and Tomas Machac.

By winning the prestigious Zeus trophy, Cerundolo secures a spot at the UTS Grand Final in London (December 3-5), the culminating event of the 2025 UTS season which follows previous champions Jack Draper (2023) and Alex de Minaur (2024).

Qualified Players for the UTS Grand Final

• Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina) – Hong Kong champion
• Tomas Machac (Czech Republic) – Guadalajara winner
• Casper Ruud (Norway) – Bastide Medical UTS Nîmes winner

• Jack Draper (UK) – 2023 UTS champion and British No.1 (wildcard)
• Andrey Rublev (Russia), Adrian Mannarino (France), David Goffin (Belgium) – Race Rankings qualifiers.
  

One wildcard entry remains for the Copper Box Arena finale.

Strong Debuts and Local Highlights in Hong Kong

The tournament also marked UTS debuts for five players. China’s Juncheng Shang reached his first Final Four after delivering a notable victory over mentor Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals, though he fell to Brooksby in the semifinals.

Local talent Coleman Wong made headlines, pushing Rublev hard in the quarterfinals and narrowly defeating Gasquet in a thrilling sudden-death set (9-16, 17-10, 11-15, 12-11, 4-3). He finished tied for fifth place alongside Mannarino, who secured a strong win over Zhizhen Zhang earlier in the day.

Despite the late withdrawal of top seed Alex de Minaur due to a hip injury, the event was a resounding success. The Kai Tak Arena showcased the dynamic UTS format to an energized crowd of 9,000 over two days.

Patrick Mouratoglou, UTS founder, highlighted the appeal of the format, saying: “We need good players but the format is greater than the players. It creates moments of tension that thrill any player and crowd worldwide.”

UTS HONG KONG Match Results

Quarterfinals
Cerundolo def. Mannarino: 9-16, 8-16, 16-13, 11-10 [2-1]
Shang def. Gasquet: 12-15, 18-10, 17-12, 13-11
Brooksby def. Zhang: 12-11, 17-8, 13-11
Rublev def. Wong: 13-12, 11-13, 15-11, 17-11

Semifinals
Brooksby def. Shang: 14-13, 13-11, 13-10
Cerundolo def. Rublev: 16-11, 17-16, 18-15

Final
Cerundolo def. Brooksby: 20-5, 10-12, 15-9, 17-7

Classification Matches
Mannarino def. Zhang: 15-11, 23-8, 20-10
Wong def. Gasquet: 9-16, 17-10, 11-15, 12-11, 4-3