RIYADH: Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev 6-0, 6-3 on Wednesday at the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition event for a half-dozen men that awards money but no ATP ranking points and is Saudi Arabia’s latest foray into tennis.
Riyadh will host the WTA Finals next month to open a three-year deal as the kingdom continues to invest in various sports.
Carlos Alcaraz was scheduled to play Holger Rune in Wednesday’s other match at the Six Kings Slam.
On Thursday, the top-ranked Sinner — who was cleared in a doping case shortly before winning the US Open last month, although the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed that exoneration — will take on Novak Djokovic, and Alcaraz or Rune will face Rafael Nadal.
That will be the first match for Nadal since his exit at the Paris Olympics in July — and his first match since he announced last week that he would be retiring after playing for Spain in the Davis Cup next month.
He is an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.
After a day off for everyone on Friday, the winners of Thursday’s two matches will meet in the event’s final on Saturday.
Nadal, 38, owns 22 Grand Slam titles; Djokovic, 37, has won 24, a record for the Open era. They were given byes into the semifinals in Riyadh.
Sinner won his first two Grand Slam trophies in 2024, and Alcaraz collected the two other men’s majors this season to raise his career total to four. Medvedev won the 2021 US Open.
Rune is the only member of the six-player field without a major championship and the only one who hasn’t been ranked No. 1.
Jannik Sinner eliminates Daniil Medvedev at Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia
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Jannik Sinner eliminates Daniil Medvedev at Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia
- Carlos Alcaraz was scheduled to play Holger Rune in Wednesday’s other match at the Six Kings Slam
- Nadal, 38, owns 22 Grand Slam titles; Djokovic, 37, has won 24, a record for the Open era
First competitors settle into Milan’s Olympic village
- Italy was the first to move in, followed by large delegations from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Japan
- The Olympic Village in Milan is designed to house 1,700 athletes
MILAN: The Olympic Village in Milan officially opened its doors on Friday, one week before the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Games.
“Italy was the first to move in, followed by large delegations from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Japan,” the organizing committee announced in a statement.
“Further arrivals are expected this evening (Friday), including delegations from the Netherlands and Australia,” added Milano-Cortina 2026.
While the opening ceremony takes place on February 6, the competitions start as early as February 4, notably with curling at Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites.
The Olympic Village in Milan is designed to house 1,700 athletes and support staff, as Italy’s economic capital hosts most of the ice sports, including figure skating and ice hockey.
Built by a private developer, it will be converted into student residences after the Paralympic Games from March 6-15.
Another Olympic Village, this one temporary and consisting of 377 mobile homes, has been built in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the venue for the women’s alpine skiing and curling events, as well as bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.
The 2026 Olympics, the third Winter Games organized by Italy, is spread over northern Italy as organizers favored existing sports facilities and sites accustomed to hosting major events such as Anterselva for biathlon, Bormio and Cortina for alpine skiing and Val di Fiemme for Nordic skiing.
