Cerundolo still undefeated at UTS format after Day 1 of Victorian Plumbing UTS London Grand Final
Rublev and De Minaur lead Group A while
Humbert and Cerundolo lead Group B thanks to their cold blood.
Fernando Cerundolo, UTS London 2025
The Victorian Plumbing UTS London Grand Final 2025 kicked off at the Copper Box Arena on Friday with the round-robin matches. While several top favorites secured crucial early wins, the day’s biggest shock came in the final session.
The main upset involved Casper Ruud falling to Francisco Cerundolo in a dramatic Sudden Death (3-2: 12-11, 13-14, 11-15, 14-13, 4-2). This high-stakes clash pitted the two most recent UTS stage champions against each other.
Cerundolo, the winner of the Hong Kong event seven weeks ago, maintains his undefeated record in the UTS format. The Argentinian pushed the Bastide UTS Nîmes champion, Ruud, to the limit, culminating in a thrilling Sudden Death that had the London crowd on its feet.
Ruud took the loss in stride, commenting, “Tough and fun match to play. Of course, I wish I got the win, but he was able to hit some good winners towards the end and deserved the win.” Cerundolo acknowledged the difficulty, adding, “It was a really tough match. It could have gone either way, but tennis is like this. This UTS format is like this.”
Humbert is back
Despite the loss, the leader of Group B is currently Ugo Humbert, returning to competition six weeks after an injury withdrawal in Basel. He secured a convincing 3-1 victory against David Goffin (21-12, 18-17, 15-16, 17-15). Goffin lamented losing the second quarter after holding a 17-12 lead, showing hesitation at a critical moment.
Humbert holds a +2 quarter average, narrowly ahead of Cerundolo’s +1.
Meanwhile, Group A is led by two-time UTS winner Andrey Rublev and Alex De Minaur, who overcame challenges from Tomas Machac and Adrian Mannarino, respectively. Rublev leads with a +3 difference, and De Minaur follows with a +2.
Rublev was the only player to sweep his match in straight quarters on Friday (3-0: 14-13, 17-10, 18-15). This was a significant performance against Machac, one of the most efficient players in UTS history (7 wins in 8 matches prior to this competition).
De Minaur challenged by Mannarino
Rublev managed to dominate the Czech — who was notably playing with a bandage on his right knee – and maintained perfect composure when it counted. He highlighted the impact of the bonus card, stating, “In my opinion, the bonus card made the difference at the end, it’s the main factor.”
De Minaur had to bring his best to avoid a Sudden Death against a tricky opponent in Mannarino, prevailing 3-1 (13-12, 16-8, 11-12, 14-12). “Happy to have won against this tricky opponent,” De Minaur summarized.
All players still have a chance to qualify during “Super Saturday,” which features an intense schedule of eight matches. The afternoon session, starting at 1:00 pm, will be critical for players facing elimination, with Goffin (vs. Cerundolo), Mannarino (vs. Rublev), Ruud (vs. Humbert), and Machac (vs. De Minaur) unable to afford a second straight defeat.
The highlight of the day is expected to be the final match of the night session between Group A leaders Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev, who both arrived in London aiming to become the first-ever three-time UTS Zeus trophy winner.
