Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner took to the court once again to do battle yesterday, and at the Six Kings Slam, it was the latter who came out on top.
Although the clash will not go down on official statistics, it does halt a three-match losing streak for the Italian, who took home a record-breaking paycheque for his troubles too.
Already these two have taken part in some of the best matches in recent years, and their rivalry remains very much in its infancy.
Pat Cash already thinks Alcaraz is better than Roger Federer in one way, and has now made another bold claim about this fledgling rivalry.
Pat Cash comments on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry
Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis after last night’s match, Pat Cash was once again full of praise for this duo.
In fact, he even admitted to being stunned at how fast their rivalry had already matched one feat that only the Big Three really accomplished.
He admitted: ‘They’re the two best players in the world, and we’ve seen that over the last generation with the top three players.
And you’ve got to throw Andy Murray, we haven’t talked much about Andy Murray this week. We keep talking about Nadal, Djokovic, Federer but you throw Andy Murray in there as well. These four players have just pushed each other to another level and they’ve [Sinner and Alcaraz] come off the back of this, seeing this level as young players and gone, this is what I’ve got to do.
‘These two players have been able to do that so quickly.’
The Six Kings Slam’s prize money remained a keen incentive for the finalists who were competing in what was just an exhibition match on the surface.
Who could break up Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivalry?
Within the current crop of talent, few of the game’s current top players can really compete with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
After all, the likes of Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have all routinely tried and failed to thwart them on the biggest stages.
So, perhaps looking further down the rankings to those in the same age category as that unstoppable duo is the more likely destination for a third rival.
Many might point to the 22-year-old Ben Shelton as America’s biggest hope, with the big-serving lefty certainly a threat.
However, he has yet to prove he has the consistency to compete on their level.
Holger Rune was once tipped to star alongside them as well, but recent coaching decisions have knocked his trajectory off course.
Now, someone like Jack Draper or even Arthur Fils could break through, having both reached career-high rankings in recent months.
Someone has to disrupt their duopoly eventually…
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