Chubb UTS Hong Kong with Humansa Day 2: Cerundolo wins maiden UTS trophy in a packed first-ever edition in Asia

Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina won the first-ever UTS competition held in Asia on Wednesday, the Chubb UTS Hong Kong with Humansa, defeating Jenson Brooksby of the USA in the final, as both players were making their UTS debut.

Cerundolo proved to be a survivor at the Kai Tak Arena, saving four match points during his quarterfinal match against Adrian Mannarino of France on Tuesday. One of those match points was saved with an iconic counterpunch around the net that became the image of the day.

On Wednesday during the Final Four, Cerundolo was much more composed, nearly unplayable. He won his semifinal in three sets against UTS two-time winner Andrey Rublev thanks to incredible consistency and a high pace (16-11, 17-16, 18-15). He then started the final with the best match start ever, winning the first quarter 12-0 against Brooksby.

Cerundolo ultimately prevailed in four quarters, dominating his opponent in the first and fourth (20-5, 10-12, 15-9, 17-7) and closing the show on an air smash that will remain in UTS iconic motions, close to Gaël Monfils slap return and passing, Ben Shelton’s return around the net or Tomas Machac’s ace on the match point with only one serve.

By winning the iconic Zeus trophy, Cerundolo qualifies for the UTS Grand Final in London (3-5 December), the last stage of the 2025 UTS Tour, which follows the 2023 and 2024 editions won by Jack Draper and Alex de Minaur.

Cerundolo joins the following players who have already qualified:

• Tomas Machac (Czech Republic), winner in Guadalajara;
• Casper Ruud (Norway), winner of the Bastide Medical UTS Nîmes event;
• Jack Draper, 2023 UTS champion and British No. 1, who received a wildcard;
• Andrey Rublev (Russia), Adrian Mannarino (France), and David Goffin (Belgium), who qualified through the Race Rankings.
  

One wildcard spot remains for this last stage, displayed at the Copper Box Arena.

Five beginners, Wong on fire

Five players made their UTS debut indoors at the ultra-modern Kai Tak Arena, with most adapting well to its fast pace, innovative rules, and electric atmosphere. Together, they contributed to a thrilling show witnessed by an extatic crowd.

Besides runner-up Brooksby, Juncheng Shang from China reached his first Final Four by defeating his mentor, Richard Gasquet of France, on Tuesday. However, Brooksby overpowered him in the semifinals (14-13, 13-11, 13-10).

Local rising star Coleman Wong embodied two of the tournament’s highlights: challenging Rublev on Tuesday and defeating Gasquet in a nail-biting sudden death on Wednesday (scores: 9-16, 17-10, 11-15, 12-11, [4-3]).

Wong tied with Mannarino for fifth place in this edition. The French lefty earlier defeated Zhizhen Zhang in the first match of the day (15-11, 23-8, 20-10).

This Hong Kong edition closes the Asian leg of the men’s professional tennis season on a tremendous high, marking a major success for Hong Kong and the event’s partners.

Cerundolo joins a prestigious list of Top-20 players who won a UTS event on their debut, following Andrey Rublev at Frankfurt 2023, Jack Draper at London 2023, Ben Shelton at Frankfurt 2024, and Tomas Machac at Guadalajara 2025.

CHUBB UTS HONG KONG WITH HUMANSA RESULTS

Quarterfinals

Cerundolo – Mannarino : 9-16, 8-16, 16-13, 11-10 [2-1]

Shang – Gasquet : 12-15, 18-10, 17-12, 13-11

Brooksby – Zhang :12-11, 17-8, 13-11

Rublev – Wong : 13-12, 11-13, 15-11, 17-11

Semifinals

Brooksby – Shang : (14-13, 13-11, 13-10)

Cerundolo – Rublev : 16-11, 17-16, 18-15

Final

Cerundolo – Brooksby : 20-5, 10-12, 15-9, 17-7

Classification match

Mannarino – Zhang : 15-11, 23-8, 20-10

Wong – Gasquet: 9-16, 17-10, 11-15, 12-11, [4-3]