Sinner Dominates Tsitsipas in Riyadh Debut,Sets Semifinal Clash with Djokovic at Six Kings
Riyadh,Saudi Arabia – โJannik Sinner marked โคhis debut at โคthe Six Kings exhibition tournament in โขRiyadhโ with a commanding victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas,winning 6-2,6-3. The win comes after a brief recovery โคperiod for Sinner, who attributed โrecent cramps in Shanghai to dehydration stemming โขfrom a gastrointestinal virus. He took full โresponsibility,stating,”The heat and humidity knocked me down,I wasn’tโฃ perfect.”
Sinner, who replaced theโ injured Draperโค in the tournament, expressed confidence in his physical and mental โstate priorโฃ to the match. โข”I feel good,โค physically andโค mentally,” he saidโ yesterday.He has his sightsโค set on finishing the year strongly, with Vienna, Paris, and Turin all on his schedule. While defending his Masters title remains a key objective, his participation in both the Vienna ATP 500 andโ Paris Masters 1000 is still to be determined, with Vienna appearing more likely dueโ to positive memories – including aโค 2023 title win secured after โa breakfast with hisโฃ parents who travelled from Sesto Pusteria.
The Italian’s return to competition follows a season impacted by a three-monthโค suspension related to Clostebol,โ during which he โขstill โsecured three titles, including โคtwo Majors, in the nine tournaments he has played. Regaining the world No.1 ranking, currently held by Carlos Alcaraz, is โคnot a primary focus.โข Sinner’s priority is a strong finish to the season and a โproductive โoff-season to prepare for 2026.
Meanwhile,Alcaraz himself is managing a left ankle injury โขsustained in Tokyo,training with a bandage โคas a precaution. He used downtime following Shanghai to improve his golf handicap andโค finalize a personal logo toโค be unveiledโฃ in Turin.
The return of both Sinner andโ alcaraz signals a shift in the tournament landscape,movingโ away from recent “fairy tales” and back to a competition โฃdominated byโฃ the top players. Alongside Sinner and Alcaraz,โข the Six Kings tournament features Alexanderโ Zverev, Taylor Fritz,โ and Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic advanced to theโค semifinals with ease, boasting โฃhisโข record of 24 Slam titles. His plans for the remainder of the season remain fluid, potentially utilizing โขthe Six Kings tournament to prepare for the ATP Finals, orโ capitalizing onโฃ the financial opportunities inโฃ Arabia.Despite suffering from extreme conditions in China, even โexperiencing vomiting on โcourt, Djokovic reiterated his โขlong-standing criticism of theโข congested tennis calendar, stating,โฃ “Playersโ complain, then disappear,โ then complain again. If โthe top players areโข not willing โขto fight with theโฃ ATP, nothing will ever change.”
sinner โฃwillโ now face Djokovicโ in the semifinals, promising aโ compelling showdown between two of the sport’s leading โfigures.