Felix Auger-Aliassime is the 2026 Bastide UTS Nîmes champion after an incredible two days at the sold-out 2,000-year-old Arènes de Nîmes in Southern France.
The Canadian, currently World No. 7, earned $301,000 USD and the most prestigious clay-court title of his career with a dramatic sudden-death victory over defending UTS Nîmes champion and World No. 12 Casper Ruud on Saturday.
More than 21,000 people packed the iconic Roman amphitheater over two days, including 13,000 for the final day — the biggest crowd ever recorded for a UTS Tour event.
Source: UTS
They were treated to thrilling tennis thanks to UTS’s unique fast-paced format and scoring system. Auger-Aliassime edged a tight sudden-death decider after leveling the match at two quarters each, winning 10-11, 14-10, 15-14, 15-11, 2-0 and earning a roaring ovation that echoed around the historic venue.
Auger-Aliassime came through a stacked field in Nîmes that included Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov, Karen Khachanov, Andrey Rublev, Alexander Bublik, and Ugo Humbert.
The UTS Tour, founded in 2020 by globally respected coach Patrick Mouratoglou, has evolved into a successful elite global tennis league featuring many of the world’s best male players and events in some of the sport’s most exciting cities.
Its innovative, fast-moving format has already been showcased in London, Los Angeles, New York, Guadalajara, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Oslo, and Nîmes.
UTS will make its South American debut this July when the tour heads to Rio, a city with a rich sporting pedigree after hosting the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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Source: UTS