Incheon: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, currently leading the world of men's tennis, captivated a crowd of approximately 12,000 spectators during their exhibition match at Inspire Arena in Incheon, South Korea. Alcaraz, the world No. 1 from Spain, narrowly defeated Italy's second-ranked Sinner with scores of 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) in what was their inaugural match on Korean soil.

According to Yonhap News Agency, both players have been notable figures in the tennis world, each clinching four Grand Slam singles titles in the past two years. As they prepare for the Australian Open set to commence on January 18 in Melbourne, they expressed that this exhibition match served as an excellent warm-up for the upcoming major tournament. Alcaraz remarked on the enthusiastic support from the fans, stating, "It was a real pleasure. I just had so much fun and the people were really involved and really into it. I think the support and the love they brought into the match was insane and I'm just really grateful for this experience."

Sinner shared similar sentiments, noting the close nature of the match and the connection with the crowd. He mentioned, "The people made us feel at home. We felt it on the court and that's the most important thing. It was great for both of us to have a great connection with the crowd, making them interact with us."

A particularly memorable moment occurred during the second set when Sinner invited a young South Korean fan from the audience to play a few shots against Alcaraz. This gesture delighted the crowd, especially when the boy managed to win a point. Sinner recounted, "I saw him there in the first row and I was like, 'For sure, he plays tennis.' I thought it'd be nice and fun to put him on the court and he played better than me."

Despite Alcaraz's current 10-6 lead over Sinner in their head-to-head meetings, Saturday's exhibition match does not affect this statistic. Alcaraz noted that he didn't identify any new strategies from Sinner during the match, while Sinner acknowledged their familiarity with each other's gameplay.