By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, October 17, 2024
Photo credit: Richard Pelham/Getty
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz split the Grand Slam spoils this season.
Fittingly, the pair could square off this weekend in a lucrative and historic Six Kings Slam exhibition final.
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World No. 1 Sinner pulled off a rarity in Riyadh today.
Sinner stopped Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-7(0), 6-4 to reach the inaugural Six Kings Slam final in a victory that came four days after the top-seeded Italian defeated the Grand Slam king 7-6(4), 6-3 in the Rolex Shanghai Masters final.
Fending off both fatigue and Djokovic, Sinner kept calm to extend his winning streak today.
“I think we played a final in Shanghai not so many days ago,” Sinner said. “I feel we were both slightly tired making a couple of mistakes, but we both tried to stay there.
“This game can change so so quickly. I had a couple of overheads, but he made some pretty good shots and [I was] just trying to reset as fast as possible.”
Sinner, who has already made history becoming the first Italian to secure the ATP season-ending world No. 1 ranking, will play for a tennis record $6 million pay day on Saturday. That’s nearly $2.5 million more than the $3.6 million champion’s check Sinner collected winning the US Open championship last month.
Today’s victory sends Sinner into Saturday’s final against either reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon winner Alcaraz or 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who was facing his Olympic doubles partner Alcaraz in tonight’s final match.
“Let’s see what’s coming Saturday, hopefully it’s going to be a great match,” Sinner said. “That’s why we’re all here so hopefully it’s going to be a good one.”
