Jannik Sinner identifies the biggest difference between his final vs Carlos Alcaraz in Saudi Arabia and the US Open

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Jannik Sinner completed a perfect run at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia after comfortably beating Carlos Alcaraz.

Following Sinner’s straight set wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic, he defeated his Spanish rival, 6-2, 6-4, to hold the trophy aloft.

The Italian earned revenge against Alcaraz in what marked their first clash since the US Open final.

At Flushing Meadows, Sinner was defeated in four sets by his red-hot opponent, who secured both his sixth Grand Slam and world number one status.

Many were beginning to wonder if the rivalry was starting to become one-sided, with Alcaraz taking a commanding 10-5 lead in the head-to-head.

Sinner‘s triumph in Riyadh, while still only an exhibition, proved the lopsided scoreline does not quite tell the full story.

Jannik Sinner reacts to his win against Carlos Alcaraz in Riyadh

After winning the Six Kings Slam title, the four-time major champion said there was a big difference in his approach to the final in Riyadh compared to New York.

He explained: “Obviously, it’s not a grand slam final match, but we certainly worked hard to play at this level. Today I played at a very, very high level.

“I served well in the important points. I returned well. So you know, there are many positive things. It’s all a process, right?

“After the US Open, we sat down every day to figure out what was best to do and where to work. But above all, the difference was perhaps a bit in the mentality. In how to approach training and also in matches, you know?

“Playing at this level today, in my opinion, I played at a high level, and I kept it up, and so I’m happy with today.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s dominance over Jannik Sinner in 2025

Though Sinner has clinched five wins over Alcaraz throughout his career, only one of them has come this year.

Sinner’s sole victory against Alcaraz in 2025 came in the Wimbledon final, where he won in four sets to become the first from his country to claim the singles title.

Outside of South West London, however, it has been all Alcaraz.

Alcaraz leads Sinner 4-1 this year, but it has not been complete domination, with the Roland Garros final going five sets, and the Cincinnati bout ending in a walkover.