The new generation has certainly taken over with both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner scoring semi-final victories over Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic respectively in the inaugural Six Kings Slam exhibition event being staged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Carlos was too good. He’s been playing fantastic the last few years, better and better – Rafa Nadal
The two youngsters will now face each other in the final which will be played out on Saturday after the two veterans face contest the third place match.
Alcaraz beat Nadal 6-3 6-3 in what was an emotional semi-final for the 38-year-old Spanish icon playing in what is expected to be his penultimate event before retiring.
Nadal was applauded off court for his fighting performance, but it was Alcaraz who was in command from the opening moments after capturing his opponent’s serve in the opening game.
While Nadal fought back, he was never able to upset Alcaraz’s rhythm who closed out the match in 78-minutes.
“It’s been a pleasure,” Nadal told DAZN. “Carlos was too good. He’s been playing fantastic the last few years, better and better.
“I think it was a good performance [from myself], but it wasn’t even enough to play against an animal like him.
“I think he doesn’t need much advice now. He’s showing everyone that he has a great team next to him and a great family.
“So, I think he’s going to be going very well with what he has. He’s learning all the time, and we can see that he’s evolving in every single way. But of course, I will be ready anytime he wants to call me.”
(Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Jannik Sinner (L) shakes hands with Novak Djokovic after their semi-final encounter
In the other semi, Sinner had his hands full with Djokovic though the young Italian, currently the world No.1, admitting that he was nervous throughout the match, especially after dropping the second set.
He eventually won through 6-2 6-7(0) 6-4 to beat the 24-time grand slam champion for a second time in five days.
The Italian picked up where he left off in Shanghai with a break in the very first game and followed it up with another break seven games later to pocket the opening set.
The Serbian responded strongly in the second, recovering from another early break before producing a flawless tie-break performance to level things up.
The decider was a far more even affair, Djokovic forcing two break points at 3-2 up before the momentum switched, with Sinner getting the better of the 37-year-old through three straight breaks of serve to wrap up a two-hour, 27-minute victory.
“Maybe from the outside [I seemed calm], but from the inside, there was a little bit [of panic],” Sinner admitted to DAZN. “But it’s normal. This game can change so quickly.
“We played a final in Shanghai not so many days ago. I feel like we were both slightly tired, making a couple of mistakes, but just trying to stay there.”
Commenting on the forthcoming final Alcaraz said: “He’s the best player in the world right now, or at least for me. It’s a really big challenge facing Jannik, seeing the year that he’s having.
“It’s going to be a really tough challenge for me. I’ve played really good battles, tough ones, so I expect a really difficult and good match.”
In their last encounter, Alcaraz got the better of Sinner in the final of the China Open in Beijing.
