Shelton and Humbert set for UTS rematch at Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open draw, revealed Thursday in Melbourne, has served up a nostalgic treat for fans of the UTS. In a striking coincidence, the opening round features a high-stakes rematch between the two finalists of the 2024 UTS Frankfurt edition: Ben Shelton and Ugo Humbert.

The “Mountain” vs. The “Commander”: A Frankfurt Flashback

The marquee matchup between seed No. 8 Ben Shelton and France’s Ugo Humbert carries significant weight beyond the ATP rankings. Just over a year ago, these two left-handers electrified the Frankfurt crowd in a final that saw Shelton (“The Mountain”) secure his maiden Zeus trophy.

Shelton’s raw power was the deciding factor then, as he overpowered Humbert (“The Commander”) with a performance he described by the American as “the best eight minutes I’ve ever had on a court.”

While Shelton leads their recent UTS history, their ATP head-to-head is still blank. Shelton enters as the 8th seed, fresh off a deep run in Auckland, while Humbert (No. 36) remains one of the most dangerous unseeded floaters in the draw.

The Clash of UTS Kings: De Minaur vs. Berrettini

The “devilish” draw didn’t stop there for the home favorites. Alex de Minaur, the No. 6 seed and the latest champion (2024, 2025) after defending his UTS Grand Final title in London last month, faces a brutal opening test against Matteo Berrettini.

This is a true clash for the UTS format: De Minaur, the current king of the fast-paced circuit, against Berrettini, the first-ever champion who won the inaugural UTS 1 in 2020. Though Berrettini enters as world No. 56, he remains a former AO semifinalist (2022) and a grass-court titan. De Minaur trails the Italian 3-2 in their career head-to-head, making this arguably the toughest first-round draw for any top seed.

The Road to Nîmes: Rublev, Ruud, and Bublik

Beyond the main stage, the draw has scattered the stars set to headline the Bastide UTS Nîmes in April 2026.

• Casper Ruud (12): The defending Nîmes champion opens against Italian Mattia Bellucci.
  
• Andrey Rublev (13): Faces a Matteo Arnaldi from Italy.
  
• Alexander Bublik (10): The “Bublik Enemy” is seeded tenth. He will face Jenson Brooksby, Hong Kong runner-up, and could potentially meet De Minaur in a blockbuster fourth round.
  
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (7): “The Gentle Warrior” is well-positioned in the top half of the draw, first against Nuno Borges from Portugal, avoiding the Sinner-Alcaraz gauntlet until the later stages.