Brandon Nakashima claimed the title at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown’s first tournament in South America, defeating 17-year-old Brazilian Guto Miguel in a tightly contested final at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanãzinho arena. The American completed a remarkable turnaround by beating Miguel 3-0 on Saturday, July 18, with quarter scores of 15-14, 17-14 and 15-13. Although the score appeared one-sided under the UTS system, all three quarters were decided by three points or fewer.
Nakashima earned $368,800 for winning UTS Rio, which was also his first appearance in the alternative tennis competition. “It was a great couple of days here,” Nakashima said after the final. “I really enjoyed my first experience here in Brazil and first UTS experience.” His path to the championship was far from straightforward. Nakashima opened the tournament with a 3-1 victory over top seed Francisco Cerúndolo before losing 3-2 to Miguel in Sudden Death during the round-robin stage.
The loss left Nakashima relying on quarter and point differentials to reach the semifinals as the fourth qualifier. Once there, he produced one of his best performances of the tournament, recovering from the loss of the opening quarter to defeat Nick Kyrgios 3-1. Nakashima won the final three quarters against Kyrgios by scores of 20-10, 17-12 and 20-10, ending the Australian’s bid for his first UTS title.
Miguel provided the tournament’s biggest surprise. The Brazilian teenager defeated Kyrgios, Nakashima and Cerúndolo during his run to the final, winning all three matches in Sudden Death. Miguel entered the event as a late replacement for Ugo Humbert but quickly became one of the central figures of the three-day competition.
He began by stunning Kyrgios 3-2, winning the first two quarters before surviving the Australian’s comeback. Miguel then defeated Nakashima by the same score and overcame Cerúndolo 3-2 in the semifinals after losing the opening quarter 23-11. Miguel had already enjoyed a breakthrough season after becoming the first Brazilian-born player to win the boys’ singles title at Roland Garros.
His victories over three established professionals in Rio offered another indication of his potential, even though Nakashima’s consistency proved too much in the final. Brazilian fans had initially expected João Fonseca to lead the home challenge. Fonseca defeated Tallon Griekspoor 3-1 in his UTS debut but was eliminated after Kyrgios swept him 3-0 in only 37 minutes.
Fonseca, Kyrgios and several other players finished the round-robin stage with one victory, leaving quarter and point differentials to determine the four semifinalists. Fonseca later defeated Corentin Moutet 3-1 in a classification match to finish sixth. Cerúndolo also recovered from an opening defeat, beating Cameron Norrie 3-0 to qualify for the semifinals. The Argentine eventually finished third after his Sudden Death loss to Miguel.
UTS Rio was held from July 16 through July 18 on an indoor hard court at the 11,000-seat Maracanãzinho. It marked the tour’s first appearance in South America and the second event of its 2026 season after an April tournament in Nîmes, France. The distinction is important: UTS had already staged an event in Latin America when Guadalajara, Mexico, hosted a tournament in 2025. Rio was the competition’s first stop on the South American continent.
Created by coach Patrick Mouratoglou, UTS replaces traditional games and sets with eight-minute quarters. The first player to win three quarters takes the match, while a 2-2 tie leads to Sudden Death, where a player must win two consecutive points. Players receive only one serve, fans may make noise during points and each competitor can use a bonus card that makes the next point worth three.
Rio also introduced a single eight-player round-robin table, with each player facing two opponents before the top four advanced to the semifinals. The event ultimately produced two significant results for UTS: a debut title for Nakashima and a breakthrough week for one of Brazil’s most promising teenagers.
