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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner renew rivalry in Riyadh’s Six Kings Slam on Netflix

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The world’s top male tennis players are in Saudi Arabia for the second staging of the Six Kings Slam – the mega-money exhibition tournament launched last year as part of Riyadh Season, the kingdom’s annual culture and entertainment programme.

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Jannik Sinner won the inaugural title 12 months ago with a three-set triumph (6-7, 6-3, 6-3) over his fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz, and the two are on course to meet in the final once again – should they get past four other players with their eyes on the prize.

Although it was Sinner who was holding the trophy at the end of last year’s event, the Riyadh-hosted tournament garnered more attention for being the setting for the last match between great rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic claimed a 6-2, 7-6 win over the Spaniard, who retired the following month after one last Davis Cup appearance.

Speaking on court in Riyadh, Djokovic credited Nadal with making him a better player, as he said: “It has been an amazing rivalry. In a personal way, I have to say that you helped me to go over my limits during almost 15 years. So thank you for that because without that, probably I will not be the player that I am today.”

For the second year in a row, the event has attracted six elite players, including all of the current top five in the ATP rankings. World No 1 Alcaraz and defending champion Sinner headline the field at the lucrative exhibition, alongside 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic.

Although there are no confirmed numbers, reports suggest that the prize money on offer for the winner is more than any of the four Grand Slams.

The Six Kings Slam will consist of two quarter-finals, two semi-finals, a third-place match and a final. Alcaraz and Djokovic received byes into the last four, with the other four men competing to join them in the semi-finals.

The matches will take place at the ANB Arena, formerly known as The Venue, an 8,000-seater stadium and a familiar choice for Riyadh Season events.

Who is playing in the Six Kings Slam?

Whereas last year there was room for some sentimentality through Nadal’s involvement and his last match against Djokovic, this year the line-up looks exactly like the business end of a major.

The world’s top two players – Alcaraz and Sinner – are in town, alongside world No 3 Alexander Zverev, 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, world No 4 Taylor Fritz, and two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. Britain’s Jack Draper was due to play but ended his season early because of an arm injury, with Greece’s Tsitsipas stepping up.

What is the Six Kings Slam schedule?

Wednesday, October 15, quarter-finals (all times UAE)

8.30pm: A Zverev (Ger) v T Fritz (USA)

Not before 10.30pm: J Sinner (ITA) v S Tsitsipas (GRE)

C Alcaraz (ESP) – bye

N Djokovic (SRB) – bye

Thursday, October 16, semi-finals (times TBC)

8.30pm: Alcaraz v Zverev/Fritz

Not before 10.30pm: Djokovic v Sinner/Tsitsipas

Saturday, October 18

8.30pm: Third-place match: TBC

Not before 10.30pm: The final: TBC

How much prize money is at stake?

Reports suggest the winner of the tournament will receive $6 million, and that will consist of $4.5m in prize money on top of a $1.5m participation fee. That’s more than the US Open men’s singles champion ($5m), the most financially rewarding of the four traditional majors.

How to watch the Six Kings Slam

The entire tournament is being shown live and exclusively on Netflix to over 300 million subscribers at no additional cost. The streaming giant says that the broadcast will feature “over 20 cutting-edge cameras, including wirecam, drone, robotic technology, augmented reality graphics, expert commentary, and creative storytelling around the sport’s biggest stars”.

 

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Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture

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The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.

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With the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.

Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?

Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.

“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.

Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..

 

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Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.

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Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.

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It’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.

These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.

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Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses

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It looks like LIV Golf is over.

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The Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.

That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.

So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.

But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?

Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.

Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.

 

That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.

 

If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.

But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.

Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.

For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.

Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time

With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.

He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.

DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.

He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.

He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.

He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.

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