Monfils to meet Fritz as first-ever Bastide Médical UTS Nîmes event begins with a bang
The first ever UTS event in Nimes is set to begin with a bang after the draw threw up four blockbuster battles on day one.
The Bastide Médical UTS Nîmes, which will be played on clay in the world-famous Arènes de Nîmes on 4 and 5 April, will officially opening the clay-court season.
All four quarter-finals will be played Friday, with Frenchman Gael Monfils – “La Monf” – up against “The Hotshot”, Taylor Fritz, the runner-up at last year’s US Open, a rematch of their UTS Los Angeles clash in 2023, which Fritz won in sudden death.
Monfils could play Ugo Humbert – “The Commander” – in the semis, if his fellow-Frenchman can get past 2024 UTS Grand Final winner Alex de Minaur, “The Demon” in his opener.
In the bottom half of the draw, the 2023 UTS Frankfurt champion Andrey “Rublo” Rublev faces “The Mountain” – American Ben Shelton, the winner in Frankfurt in 2024.
In the other quarter-final, Casper Ruud “The Ice Man” meets Holger Rune, “The Viking”, a rematch of their 2024 UTS Oslo encounter, won 3-1 by Ruud.
The winner in Nimes will automatically qualify for the 2025 UTS Grand Final.
Quarter-final draw:
Taylor Fritz (1) vs Gaël Monfils
Alex de Minaur (4) vs Ugo Humbert
Andrey Rublev (3) vs Ben Shelton
Casper Ruud (2) vs Holger Rune
Fans will see all eight players in action on both days of competition. The classification matches, two semi-finals and final will be played on Saturday.
Tickets are available here, with the very last places available for both Saturday (12,000 spectators expected) and Friday.
UTS TOUR
The first leg of the 2025 season was held in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 14 to 16 February, and was won by Czech Tomas Machac.
