Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in a friendly South Korea exhibition, their final tune-up before the Australian Open where both are favourites.
CARLOS Alcaraz defeated great rival Jannik Sinner in a sold-out exhibition match in South Korea on Saturday.
The Spanish world number one won 7-5, 7-6 (8/6) in front of 12,000 fans in Incheon.
This was the first appearance of the year for both players, coming eight days before the Australian Open begins in Melbourne.
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Neither will play another competitive match before the Grand Slam, where Sinner is the two-time defending champion.
Organisers did not disclose player fees, but Italian reports suggest each could earn over USD 2 million for the one-hour, 47-minute match.
The light-hearted encounter featured trick shots and playful interactions, with both players smiling and making heart gestures to the crowd.
“Jannik, we finished the season playing together. We started the season playing together,” Alcaraz said to Sinner on court afterwards.
“So hopefully this season is going to be such a good one like last year. You deserve the best.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated men’s tennis for two years, splitting all four Grand Slam titles between them in 2024 and 2025.
While fierce competitors on court, they are good friends off it.
Alcaraz now leads their head-to-head rivalry with an 11-6 record following this exhibition victory.
Both will be top favourites when the Australian Open begins on January 18.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals at the season’s first major, which remains the only Grand Slam title he has yet to win. – AFP
