Incheon [South Korea], January 10 : World number one Carlos Alcaraz secured a narrow win over his arch-rival and world number two Jannik Sinner in an exhibition match in Incheon on Saturday. This was also their first meeting in 2026, with the Spaniard ultimately claiming the win (7-5, 7-6).
The two tennis aces battled in a heated clash. Both stars exchanged point-for-point in the opening set. However, Alcaraz held his nerves and took the first set from the Italian and Wimbledon 2025 champion, winning 7-5.
The duo battled hard in the second set, which went much the same way as the first. Carlos and Sinner fight for each point, which ended up in a tie break. The two continued to battle it out, playing long rallies that ended with Sinner hitting the ball into the net and Alcaraz securing a thrilling win.
Notably, the exhibition match result will not count towards Alcaraz and Sinner's official head-to-head record and will offer zero points. However, the match between the two stars helped them warm up ahead of the 2026 Australian Open, which starts on 18 January.
According to ATP rankings, Carlos finished 2025 at the top in the men's singles rankings with 12,050 official points to his name. Sinner, who is 24 years old, is placed second with 11,500 points to his name.
At 22, the Spaniard Alcaraz now holds two French Open (Roland Garros) crowns (2024, 2025), two Wimbledon Championships (2023, 2024), and two US Open titles (2022, 2025).
At 24, Sinner has won four Grand Slam singles titles now. Sinner clinched the Australian Open (2024, 2025), the US Open (2024), and Wimbledon (2025). He's achieved this by 2025, becoming a dominant force in men's tennis alongside Alcaraz with multiple major wins in a short span, solidifying his place among the top players.
The 2025 Calendar year saw Sinner clinching two Slams: the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and Alcaraz countered with Roland Garros and the US Open, solidifying his place among the era's elite. Additonally, the Italian star Sinner won the Nitto ATP Finals to end his 2025 tour on a high note.
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