Carlos Alcaraz won his first clash with Jannik Sinner in 2026 as the top two players in the men's game met in a hardcourt exhibition.

World No 1 Alcaraz triumphed 7-5 7-6 against the player directly below him in the world rankings as they contested the Hyundai Card Super Match in South Korea.

Spaniard Alcaraz and Italy's Sinner are not playing in any official tournaments ahead of the Australian Open, which runs from January 18 to February 1 in Melbourne.

Sinner has won the previous two Australian Open titles, defeating Daniil Medvedev from two sets down in 2024 before seeing off Alexander Zverev in straight sets a year ago.

Sinner and Alcaraz have shared the last eight Grand Slam titles, picking up four each since Novak Djokovic won his 25th major at the 2023 US Open.

How Sinner and Alcaraz rivalry panned out in 2025

In 2025, Sinner backed up his win in Australia by claiming his first Wimbledon title when he recorded a four-set victory over Alcaraz in the final.

However, he lost to his big rival in the finals of the French Open and US Open, with Alcaraz coming back from two sets down to win a remarkable match at Roland Garros.

Overall last year, Alcaraz beat Sinner in four of their six meetings, having also eclipsed the Italian in the finals of the Masters 1000 events in Rome and Cincinnati.

Sinner's second win over Alcaraz, after Wimbledon, came in the final of the season-ending ATP Finals in his homeland, leaving their career ATP Tour head-to-head 10-6 in Alcaraz's favour.

Sinner lets young fan play point against Alcaraz

In Saturday's exhibition, the match was paused in the fifth game of the second set when Alcaraz engaged in a rally with a young fan, who was temporarily given Sinner's racket.

Sinner, who sat in the fan's seat and watched his replacement hit a forehand winner, said afterwards: "It was ​an entertaining match, that's why we came here. Obviously the main goal is in Australia.

"Exhibition matches are different. You are a bit more relaxed and also entertaining the crowd a little bit more ‍with different shots and different actions on court."

Alcaraz added: "We all need the support from the fans, so feeling the love from the people was necessary for me ​to perform my best and play great tennis like I did today."

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