Andrey “Rublo” Rublev wrote his name into the record books as the first-ever two-time UTS champion. He beat Alex “The Demon” de Minaur 14-16, 17-10, 16-13, 20-12 to lift the famous lightning-bolt trophy as the winner of UTS Oslo. It was the first time that two former UTS champions had met beyond the Final Four. After going two quarters to one up, Rublev admitted on the courtside microphone that he was having to work his hardest to get the better of the Australian. And he kept that up into the fourth quarter, winning four points in a row at one stage. The Demon refused to be counted out, though, wheeling out another brilliant forehand cross-court to stay in touch. But Rublo’s smart use of the bonus card with 30 seconds left on the clock gave him a six-point lead.
