Brandon Nakashima Wins UTS Rio Title in Strong South American Debut for Global Tennis Series

Brandon Nakashima delivered one of the biggest wins of his career as the UTS Tour made a successful South American debut in Rio de Janeiro.

The American captured the UTS Rio presented by XP title on Saturday, defeating 17-year-old Brazilian standout Guto Miguel 3-0 in the final at the Maracañazinho venue.

Nakashima won the fast-paced championship match 15-14, 17-14, 15-13, earning $368,800 in prize money and becoming one of the few players to win a UTS title in his tournament debut.

Photo credit: UTS

The achievement puts him in select company alongside Jack Draper, who won on his UTS debut in London in 2023, Tomas Machac in Acapulco in 2025 and Francisco Cerundolo in Hong Kong in 2025.

“It was a great couple of days here,” Nakashima told media after the two-day event. “I really enjoyed my first experience here in Brazil and my first UTS experience. Super happy and thankful to everyone for that.”

Nakashima’s 40-minute win capped a busy second day of competition that included five matches, two classifications and two semifinals at the 11,000-seat Maracañazinho, one of Rio’s most recognizable sports venues.

Photo credit: UTS

The weekend also belonged in part to Brazil’s tennis fans, who saw Miguel make a memorable run to the final. The 17-year-old reached the championship match after defeating World No. 22 and recent HSBC Championships winner Francisco Cerundolo in a 3-2 sudden-death semifinal.

Miguel’s runner-up finish included group-stage wins over Nick Kyrgios and Nakashima before his semifinal victory over Cerundolo. Although he fell short in the final, his performance gave the home crowd one of the major storylines of the event.

UTS Rio presented by XP marked the second stage of the 2026 UTS Tour, following UTS Nîmes in April, which was played inside a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre in front of a sellout crowd.

Photo credit: UTS

The tour will next move to UTS Gothenburg, scheduled for Dec. 12-13 at Scandinavium in Sweden, as the global series continues to expand its footprint.

Since its launch, UTS has brought its alternative tennis format to cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Guadalajara, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Oslo, Nîmes and Rio.

The UTS format is designed around fast-paced, fan-friendly tennis, with players competing in eight-minute quarters, sudden-death points, one serve and bonus cards that can increase the stakes during matches. Events also include a DJ, MC, light show and mid-match player interviews designed to bring fans closer to the action.

Source: UTS Tour. Photo credit: UTS.