Jannik Sinner lands £4.6m payday with Six Kings Slam win over Carlos Alcaraz | Tennis | sport

Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the Six Kings Slam final to claim the staggering £4.6 million prize. In a thrilling matchup between the two best players in the world, it was the Italian who finally secured his first win over his arch-rival in four attempts this year.

Six of the biggest names in men’s tennis arrived in Saudi Arabia to take part in the sport’s most lucrative tournament. Although this is only an exhibition competition in which no ranking points can be earned, big money was on offer for Sinner, Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune.

Just by turning up, the players got a check for £1.15 million. To put the money into context, Alcaraz won £2.7m for beating Djokovic in this year’s Wimbledon final, the highlight of one of the most well-known Grand Slams on the calendar.

The Six Kings Slam final sparked a competition between the two top-ranked stars in the ATP rankings. And it didn’t disappoint. A long three set in which Alcaraz led and Sinner battled with immense strength of character would have left the Saudi tournament organizers delighted with the opening showcase of the event.

Alcaraz won the first set, 7-6 for the Spaniard. Both players pushed themselves to the limit of their physical capabilities, showing little sign of having played for three consecutive days.

Sinner took control from then on. The 23-year-old, world No.1, won the second set 6-3 to set up a deciding crunch. Those inside the 8,000-capacity The Venue were treated to an epic finish.

The power with which both players played was remarkable. A deft lob from Sinner drew applause from his opponent. Alcaraz answered with a couple of scraping right hooks.

But it was Sinner who ultimately took the crown. A 6-3 triumph in the final set was met with subdued smiles and a warm embrace by two players willing to push each other to new heights throughout their careers.

“I wake up in the morning trying to figure out how to beat him,” Sinner said of his rivalry with Alcaraz, who has already drawn comparisons to matchups between Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.

“These kinds of rivalries and players push us to our 100% limit. I’m happy about that today. But the reason we came here was to show you all what tennis is all about. Sometimes it can be long , like today. But we just do our best. I hope you enjoyed the show.”