Rune sets sights on maiden UTS title as Gothenburg hosts season finale

Holger Rune wants one thing above all from UTS’s first visit to Gothenburg: the title that has eluded him twice before. The Dane, already confirmed for the December 12-13 finale at Scandinavium (tickets here), has reached the season-ending final in London in both 2023 and 2024 without winning it.

“It would be an amazing feeling,” Rune said to the Göteborgs Posten of lifting the trophy in Sweden. “I haven’t won a UTS event yet. I’ve been in two finals. Maybe third time’s the charm.”

He said he “can’t wait” for the format to land on Swedish soil, calling it one of his favourite fixtures on the calendar. “It’s always super cool to play UTS in December. I’ve done it twice in London, and now that it’s coming to Gothenburg it feels very good. I’m sure it’s going to be a great event.”

Rune’s affection for the format goes beyond the results column. “It’s about the game being fast, intense, with longer rallies. You interact with the crowd, there’s music during the matches. It’s like a party, in a way. It’s cool,” he said. “It’s also a good way for us players to develop our own game. Everyone loves playing it, because it’s also highly competitive, which is great fun.”

The single-serve rule, he added, is what makes chasing that elusive title so demanding. “You only get 15 seconds between points, so you have to recover fast and then be ready again.”

Rune joins Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik and Italy’s Luciano Darderi as the first three names confirmed for the eight-man field, which will compete for a $1 million prize pool. The remaining five players will be announced in the coming weeks.