Six Kings slam: Jannik Sinner thrashes Carlos Alcaraz to win second successive title

Jannik Sinner produced a flawless performance to defeat his rival Carlos Alcaraz and claim his second successive title at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It took just 73 minutes for Sinner to beat Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets, to take home a record-breaking $6 million, the biggest prize money of the tennis season.

While the Six Kings Slam is an exhibition event and does not count towards ATP rankings or head-to-head records, Sinner entered the match with a point to prove after suffering a heavy loss to Alcaraz in last month’s US Open final.

advertisement

The Italian had previously beaten the world No. 1 just once in their last eight official encounters, in this summer’s Wimbledon final. But in Riyadh, a much-improved serve helped Sinner take control from the start as he stormed to a dominant win, sending a clear message to his biggest rival.

Alcaraz admitted afterwards that he felt “under pressure” throughout the match as Sinner’s serve repeatedly pinned him back. The world No. 2 won 80 percent of his service points and did not face a single break point, showcasing the work he had put into his service motion since their meeting in New York.

Sinner, 24, said after the US Open final that he needed to make “changes” to his game, and in Riyadh, those adjustments paid off. The city’s high altitude added extra pop to his delivery, something Alcaraz said he could “feel” compared to their previous clash.

Following his win, Sinner recalled the two grand slam final losses against Alcaraz at the French Open and US Open. He also spoke about the good friendship that the duo shares outside the court.

“Especially this season we played many, many times, I lost also many times against Carlos, it’s a huge pleasure and an honour to share the court with him, but at the same time, you want to get better as a tennis player. It's nice to have a great rivalry and also, more importantly, a great friendship off the court, and we have a very, very special, special friendship, and it's very nice,” said Sinner after the match.

The Six Kings Slam featured six top players over three days and every participant earned a $1.5 million appearance fee, with an additional $4.5 million awarded to the champion.

Sinner’s $6 million payday surpasses even the record purse Alcaraz collected by winning the US Open, cementing the Saudi exhibition as the most lucrative event of the season.

- Ends

Click here to read article