UTS Medie Release, August 18, 2026
The UTS Tour reveals the first three players confirmed for its season-ending Gothenburg showdown on 12–13 December, and announces BNP Paribas as presenting sponsor of the event, which will now carry the official name UTS Gothenburg by BNP Paribas.
Holger Rune from Denmark, Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan and Luciano Darderi from Italy are the first names confirmed for the eight-man field to compete at the 10,000-seat Scandinavium arena for a prize money pot of US$1 million, with the event doubling as the UTS Tour Super Stage that decides the UTS Year-End World No. 1.
Rune, a former World No. 4 working his way back and targeting a return to the tour in September, and Bublik, who reached a career-high of World No. 10 this season, are both UTS regulars and among the format’s most recognisable names, though a first UTS title has so far eluded each of them. Rune was runner-up in London in 2023 and again in 2024, while Bublik reached the final in New York in 2024.
Darderi, now a solid member of the Top 20, will make his UTS debut in Gothenburg, but arrives with a proven affinity for Swedish courts: the Italian won the ATP title in Bastad in 2025 and returned to the final there in 2026.
Holger Rune said: “It’s going to be absolutely amazing to be back and performing in front of all the Swedish fans, and I hope a lot of Danish people will come and support me too. I can’t wait.”
Alexander Bublik said: “I love traditional tennis, but I think there should also be room for creativity, for emotion – and UTS gives us that feeling, so I couldn’t say no. UTS represents the freedom to do basically whatever we want on court and still be professional tennis players competing at the highest level – to have a conversation with your coach, the crowd, your opponent, the referee, without being penalised for it every now and then. It’s an interesting field to play in.”
Tickets for UTS Gothenburg by BNP Paribas go on sale Wednesday 19 August at 11:00, priced from SEK 445 (€40), via www.uts.live.
UTS promises tennis like never before, with an innovative, quickfire, fan-friendly format designed to engage and encourage eye-catching tennis. Matches are high-intensity and timed, players get only one serve, and can play UTS bonus cards at pivotal moments.
Crowds are encouraged to cheer between and during points, creating a high-energy atmosphere closer to football or handball than traditional tennis, with fans even hearing from players thanks to live in-match interviews.
“UTS is lowering the barriers of entry for fans. It’s fast-paced, high-energy format makes tennis more accessible, entertaining, and relevant for a broader audience. Rather than competing with traditional tennis, it is serving as a gateway to the sport, inspiring a new generation not only to watch but to pick up a racket themselves. If Roland-Garros and Wimbledon are classical music, UTS is the Rock & Roll of tennis.” Say’s Eirik Winter, CEO of BNP Paribas, Nordic Region.
UTS Gothenburg by BNP Paribas closes out the 2026 season as the tour’s Super Stage, following the Bastide UTS Nîmes, France, won by World No. 4 Félix Auger-Aliassime in April, and UTS Rio presented by XP in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, won in July by newcomer of the summer Brandon Nakashima, a fresh Top 25 player.
The competition runs across two days: day one stages the quarter-finals, with four matches deciding who advances; day two builds to the climax with classification matches, the semi-finals and the final – five matches in total to crown the champion and settle the year-end standings, with up to US$511k for the ultimate winner.
