Nick Kyrgios and Kwon Soon-woo to compete in ‘fast and furious’ UTS tournament in Goyang

China’s Wu Yibing returns between his legs against the United States’ Taylor Fritz during the finals of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in July in Carson, Calif. [AP/YONHAP]

Tennis fans in Korea will have a chance to watch some of their favorite professional players on home turf before the year’s end. The Korea leg of the international “Ultimate Tennis Showdown” is officially a month away and will be held in Goyang, Gyeonggi. This star-studded tournament is the first time the UTS will hold an event in Asia, with Korea being the league’s last stop before the “Grand Final” in London in December.

The non-traditional tennis tournament brings the men’s game back to Korea, offering an opportunity to witness high-level tennis in the country. Despite not being part of the top-tier ATP tour this season, Korea has hosted the WTA’s Korea Open recently. Now, eight players will take part in the UTS event, showcasing fast and furious tennis with unique rules, such as no warm-ups, no lets, and sudden death. The event will span three days from December 1 to 3.

Korea has faced cancellations of several all-star sports events this year. An all-star football game featuring players from Brazil, Italy, and Korea was canceled, as well as a preseason Korea Tour for European football clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers, Roma, and Celtic. However, if all goes well, tennis greats such as Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, France’s Gael Monfils, and others will have a new arena to showcase their skills in Korea.

The UTS, founded by Patrick Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams, has given each player a unique nickname. Among the participants are Kwon “The Machine” Soon-woo and “King Kyrgios.” The tournament will begin with Round Robin matches on December 1.

BY MARY YANG [[email protected]]