Jannik Sinner described the surface at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh as "very unusual," but was happy to have started his campaign with a win.
For the second edition of the Six Kings Slam, the star-studded exhibition event organizers decided to award Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic with a direct entry into the semifinal.
As a result, Sinner - who won the event's inaugural edition last year and went home with $6 million in prize money - had to start his title defense on the opening day. And he enjoyed a victorious start after ousting Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 6-3. On paper, it was a very routine day for the world No. 2. But afterward, the four-time Grand Slam champion noted that it wasn't as easy as some may have thought.
It's a very unusual indoor court. It is a very interesting situation we have to deal with here on the court because it's quite bouncy, with new balls it's quite fast and it slows down with used balls," the world No. 2 explained.
Sinner reflects on beating Tsitsipas: I tried to stay quite aggressive
Sinner took the opening set with a lightning start as the Italian went 5-0 up before serving out for the first set in the eighth game. In the second set, the reigning Wimbledon champion broke Tsitsipas three additional times to complete his two-set win.
We played already many times, of course. By the time we become better players and we know each other's game a little bit more, so I knew a little bit also tactically how to prepare for the match. I just tried to stay quite aggressive, especially on the return games. I felt like I was serving very well in the important moments," the Italian reflected.
For a place in the Six Kings Slam final, Sinner will battle against Novak Djokovic. They also clashed against each other in last year's semifinal at the Riyadh exhibition, and the Italian won in three sets.
