Six Kings Slam 2026: Prize Money, Schedule and How to Watch in Australia

Jannik Sinner has won both editions of the Six Kings Slam, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final each time, and he won't be in Riyadh to go for three in a row.

A right knee injury has ended the Italian's 2026 season, which blows this year's event wide open and hands two first-timers, our own Alex de Minaur and American young gun Learner Tien, a crack at one of the biggest cheques in the sport.

Here are the key details before we get into it:

• Event: Six Kings Slam 2026 (third edition)
• Venue: ANB Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (indoor hard court)
• Dates: Wednesday 21 to Saturday 24 October 2026 (Riyadh time), with Friday 23 October a rest day
• Australian start times: from around 3:30am AEDT on Thursday 22, Friday 23 and Sunday 25 October
• How to watch: live on Netflix

What Is the Six Kings Slam?

The Six Kings Slam is an invitational exhibition played in Riyadh as part of the Riyadh Season entertainment festival, and it has become the richest stop on the tennis calendar for the few players lucky enough to get an invite.

It isn't sanctioned by the ATP, so there are no ranking points on offer and results don't count towards official head-to-head records.

The format is as simple as the event is exciting: six world-class players go into a knockout draw, with the top two seeds getting a bye straight into the semifinals while the other four fight it out in the quarterfinals.

Every match is best of three sets under normal scoring (our guide to how tennis scoring works covers the basics), and the semifinal losers play off for third place. There's a rest day before finals day because ATP rules don't let players compete in exhibitions on three days in a row.

Six Kings Slam 2026 Players

Sinner announced on 6 October that his season was over because of a lingering right knee injury, and organisers moved fast to bring in 20-year-old Learner Tien, currently ranked No. 17 in the world.

Here's the field:

• Carlos Alcaraz (bye to the semifinals)
• Novak Djokovic (bye to the semifinals)
• Alexander Zverev (second appearance)
• Taylor Fritz (second appearance)
• Alex de Minaur (debut)
• Learner Tien (debut, replacing Jannik Sinner)

De Minaur's spot looked shaky for a few days after he retired hurt from the China Open final against Djokovic with a groin problem, but the Aussie has played through it since, beating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals.

He says he's improving every day without being fully fit yet, so keep an eye on how he pulls up from Shanghai.

Six Kings Slam 2026 Schedule and Draw (AEDT)

Netflix's coverage starts at 7:30pm Riyadh time each match day, which means very early mornings for punters on the east coast. The exact order of play hadn't been published at the time of writing, so the times below are when each session begins.

• Quarterfinals, Thursday 22 October from 3:30am AEDT: Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz and Learner Tien vs Alex de Minaur
• Semifinals, Friday 23 October from 3:30am AEDT: Carlos Alcaraz vs the Zverev/Fritz winner and Novak Djokovic vs the Tien/de Minaur winner
• Rest day: Friday 23 October in Riyadh
• Finals day, Sunday 25 October from 3:30am AEDT: third-place playoff and the championship match

Brisbane fans can tune in an hour earlier at 2:30am AEST, while Perth gets the friendliest slot at 12:30am AWST.

The event was still scheduled to go ahead at the time of writing, with tickets on sale and no changes announced, although the security situation in Riyadh after recent attacks on King Khalid International Airport has raised questions that organisers hadn't publicly addressed.

Six Kings Slam 2026 Prize Money

The money is the reason this event gets the biggest names in the game to Riyadh in October. Organisers haven't released an official breakdown for 2026, but reports point to the same structure as the first two editions:

• Total purse: US$13.5 million
• Guaranteed to every player: US$1.5 million
• Champion: an extra US$4.5 million, taking the winner’s total to US$6 million

That means Tien banks US$ 1.5 million even if he loses his only match, and the champion walks away with more than Alcaraz earned for winning the 2025 US Open which paid US$5 million.

For a local comparison, it is worth seeing how that stacks up against the Australian Open prize money on offer in Melbourne.

How to Watch the Six Kings Slam in Australia

Netflix holds the global streaming rights for the second year running, after DAZN broadcast the first edition in 2024. Every match streams live to Netflix subscribers in Australia at no extra cost, so if you already have an account, you're sorted.

Make sure your Netflix app is up to date and your device supports live streaming, then search "Six Kings Slam" and hit "Remind Me" if you want an alert before the first serve.

With sessions starting in the small hours for most of the country, that alarm might come in handy.

Six Kings Slam Past Winners and Results

Sinner has had this event to himself so far, and Alcaraz has been the bridesmaid both times.

• 2024: Jannik Sinner def. Carlos Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3. Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in the third-place playoff.
• 2025: Jannik Sinner def. Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4. Sinner beat Djokovic in the semifinals, and Fritz took third place when Djokovic retired after losing the opening set in a tiebreak.

Six Kings Slam 2026 Storylines and Betting Markets

With Sinner out, everything points to Alcaraz. He has made the final in both editions, he gets a bye straight into the semis, and for the first time he won't find the Italian waiting on the other side of the net.

Two straight losses in Riyadh finals will sting too, so expect the Spaniard to treat this one seriously. 

With Djokovic and Alcaraz both in the draw, this is a field packed with major winners, and if you enjoy tracking that kind of history it is worth seeing who holds the most Grand Slam titles in the men's game.

Djokovic is the hardest player in the draw to read. He picked up the China Open title earlier this month when de Minaur retired in the final, then bowed out in Shanghai, and he retired from last year's third-place playoff after a single set. 

At 39, how much he puts into an exhibition this late in the season is anyone's guess.

The quarterfinals have plenty going for them as well. Zverev and Fritz met in the opening round last year, and Fritz won through to the semis on debut, while Zverev comes in after saying his ankle was playing up in Shanghai.

The all-new matchup between de Minaur and Tien is a tasty one for Aussie fans, with the Demon's speed and consistency up against one of the most talked-about young players on tour.

Exhibition form is notoriously hard to predict, with no ranking points at stake and every player already paid, so match result markets and set betting on the quarterfinals are where the most interest is likely to sit

For the latest Six Kings Slam odds and markets, check out our dedicated tennis odds page here at Sportsbet, and our guide to how to bet on tennis runs through the common markets if you're new to it.

Six Kings Slam FAQs

Is the Six Kings Slam an official ATP event?

No. It's an exhibition, so there are no ranking points and results don't count towards official head-to-head records.

Who is the defending Six Kings Slam champion?

Jannik Sinner won the 2024 and 2025 titles, both times beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final. He won't defend it in 2026 because of a knee injury.

Can I watch the Six Kings Slam in Australia?

Yes. Every match streams live on Netflix in Australia, included with a standard subscription.

What time does the Six Kings Slam start in Australia?

Coverage begins at around 3:30am AEDT on Thursday 22 October (quarterfinals), Friday 23 October (semifinals) and Sunday 25 October (finals day).