UTS Los Angeles Day 1 – A thrilling day of action with wins for “The Great Wall”, “Big Foe”, “The Mountain”, “El Peque”, “The Hotshot” and “La Monf”
On an action-packed day of thrilling tennis, UTS got underway in Los Angeles with the first round of group matches. Action began with Yibing “The Great Wall” Wu against Benoit “The Rebel” Paire.
The Great Wall beat The Rebel 3-2 in an entertaining encounter in front of a rowdy LA crowd to move to the top of Group A.
The Great Wall required a dramatic sudden death point to see off a superb effort from The Rebel and ensure his UTS experience got off to the perfect start.
Round robin – Group A – July 21, 2023 6:00 pm
The Rebel
Benoit Paire
The Great Wall
Wu Yibing
Next up was Ben “The Mountain” Shelton versus Alexander “The Bublik Enemy” Bublik. The Mountain was a firm home favourite and he did not disappoint his adoring fans, defeating the Kazakh 3-1 in the second game of the day.
With trick shots, frequent interactions with the crowd, and some dazzling play, The Mountain made the perfect UTS debut. It was a thrilling encounter for the crowd, with The Bublik Enemy arguably hitting the shot of the day with his round-the-post winner to stun both the crowd and his opponent.
It was the American home hope who had the last laugh, though, as he ensured that his first ever UTS experience began with victory.
Round robin – Group B –
The Mountain
Ben Shelton
The Bublik Enemy
Alexander Bublik
In the most anticipated match of the day, Gael “La Monf” Monfils took on Frances “Big Foe” Tiafoe.
Tiafoe was another firm home favourite, but it was the Frenchman who prevailed 3-1, shocking a vocal LA crowd by defeating their star player.
In one of the moments of the day, Monfils appeared to square up to a crowd member in a genuinely explosive encounter. However, there was no bad blood between the two as the Frenchman high-fived the member of the audience after the match.
In a contest of charisma, dancing and hot shots, this highly-anticipated clash did not disappoint.
Round robin – Group B –
Big Foe
Frances Tiafoe
La Monf
Gaël Monfils
Playing his second match on Day 1, Benoit “The Rebel” Paire took on Diego “El Peque” Schwartzman in the fourth match of the day.
With broken rackets and torn shirts, this was a feisty encounter. The Rebel came out looking to rectify his first match loss, but ended up losing to the Argentine on another agonising sudden death point.
Round robin – Group A –
The Rebel
Benoit Paire
El Peque
Diego Schwartzman
There was also a win for Taylor “The Hotshot” Fritz – who staged a remarkable comeback to defeat The Great Wall 3-2 and leave Group A nicely poised.
Round robin – Group A –
The Hotshot
Taylor Fritz
The Great Wall
Wu Yibing
Finally, in an all-American encounter in front of a rapturous Los Angeles crowd, “Big Foe” got off the mark to take down The Mountain 3-2.
Round robin – Group B –
The Mountain
Ben Shelton
Big Foe
Frances Tiafoe
A pulsating first day of UTS action has set up Day 2 perfectly, with both groups in the balance.
