Six, like the Six Kings that give their name to the unprestigious but very rich tournament in Riyadh. The final on Saturday in Saudi Arabia will therefore see Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz face off for the sixth time this year: the balance so far is mercilessly in favor of the Spaniard, who has won 4 of 5 matches and is also ahead in the overall count, with 10 victories against the South Tyrolean's 5. So far, all the matches between the two have been finals and it will be the same this time too: after the Rome Masters 1000, Roland Garros, Wimbledon (Sinner's only victory), the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and the US Open, this time it's the turn of the Six Kings Slam, which does not offer any ATP ranking points but 6 million euros for the winnerSinner and Alcaraz have already secured a million and a half just for participating, but whoever wins the final (scheduled for 8:20 PM Italian time) will take home another 4,5 million.
Regarding Sinner's semifinal win over Novak Djokovic, it's worth noting that last year's match against the Serbian was a three-set, two-and-a-half-hour battle, while this time it was a completely different story in the Six Kings Slam match. It took the world number two just an hour and three minutes to defeat and dominate the twenty-four-time Grand Slam champion in the semifinals: 6-4 6-2 was the final resultJannik, impeccable in his serve as he has perhaps never been this season, thus gives himself the second consecutive final in the rich exhibition tournament. Carlos Alcaraz instead overcame in his semifinal with a comfortable 6-4 6-2 the American Taylor FritzIt will once again be number one against number two for the rich prize money, yet another chapter in tennis's new rivalry.
“Nole is truly a great role model for the new generations,” Sinner commented. “Seeing him compete, train, and fight for moments like these is incredible. What he has achieved in his career is extraordinary. I consider him a true idol. Playing against him is a huge honor and privilege.I'm happy about today, but also happy to see him in tournaments and to have him around." And about the final against Alcaraz he said: "I can't wait every time we face each other. It's fantastic for us, it will be a great battle and I'll try to be as ready as possible. It's obviously a huge honor to play against him again. We're all hoping for a great Saturday night."
