World number one Jannik Sinner and second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz will meet in an exhibition match in South Korea on 10 January, organisers announced on Monday, as both players prepare for the upcoming Australian Open.
The one-off clash, part of the Hyundai Card Super Match series, will take place at Incheon’s Inspire Arena just eight days before the first Grand Slam of the year begins in Melbourne. The event has previously featured some of the biggest names in tennis, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams.
Details about the prize money for the encounter have yet to be released.
Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated men’s tennis in recent seasons, winning nine of the last ten major titles between them. They faced each other in three of this year’s four Grand Slam finals and also met in last month’s Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh, where Sinner triumphed to claim a reported $6 million prize.
The Italian arrives in top form, having lifted his first Paris Masters title on Sunday to reclaim the world number one ranking from Alcaraz, who suffered an early exit in the same tournament.
The Spaniard had briefly returned to the top of the rankings after defeating Sinner in the US Open final in September, extending his official head-to-head lead over the Italian to 10-5. Earlier in the year, Alcaraz edged Sinner in a thrilling French Open final, before the 23-year-old Italian gained revenge with victory at Wimbledon a month later.
Their meeting in South Korea will mark another chapter in one of tennis’s most compelling modern rivalries as both players look to fine-tune their games ahead of the new season.
