Djokovic tops Nadal before Sinner beats Alcaraz for the title at the Six Kings Slam exhibition

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 for the championship in the Six Kings Slam exhibition Saturday after Novak Djokovic topped Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the third-place match.

While Sinner and Alcaraz probably have plenty of future matchups in store, Djokovic and Nadal may have been playing for the final time in one of tennis’ great rivalries.

Djokovic won the match between rivals who have combined for 46 Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal, who won 22 Slam titles, is planning to retire after playing for Spain next month in the Davis Cup.

They shared a warm embrace at the net after Djokovic's victory. He also beat Nadal in the Olympics and had a 31-29 lead in their head-to-head.

“The last dance was an epic one,” Djokovic wrote on social media. “And of course emotional. I’ll cherish our rivalry forever, (at)rafaelnadal. Tennis will miss you.”

Sinner then emerged with a victory over Alcaraz in a matchup between the winners of all four major titles this season. The top-ranked Sinner, who had lost all three meetings this season, collected $6 million for the win.

“Until now, every match was very, very good, but we will always hope this rivalry will last as long as possible,” Sinner said.

Alcaraz beat the Italian on Oct. 2 to win the China Open in Beijing, along with semifinal victories at the French Open and Indian Wells. The Spaniard has a 6-4 lead in their head-to-head on Tour.

“I will try to do my best every day ... to hopefully make this rivalry better and better over the years,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz defeated Nadal and Sinner topped Djokovic in the previous round of the exhibition event that awards money but not ATP ranking points in Saudi Arabia’s latest foray into tennis.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a backhand return against Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic during the men's singles quarterfinals match in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Jannik Sinner of Italy returns a shot against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the men's singles finals match in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

FILE - Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates his victory over Marton Fucsovics of Hungary during the men's singles tennis competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France, as he has announced he will retire from tennis at age 38 following the Davis Cup finals in November. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

FILE - An emotional Roger Federer, left, of Team Europe sits alongside his playing partner Rafael Nadal after their Laver Cup doubles match against Team World's Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the O2 arena in London, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot against Jannik Sinner of Italy during the men's singles finals match in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Crews continue to battle strong winds while they work to extinguish a brush fire in Oakland that ignited Friday afternoon, burning two homes and forcing 500 evacuations before it was contained.

The firefight will continue through the evening and at least Sunday morning, fire chief Damon Covington said in an update Saturday afternoon. It took more than 100 firefighters to stop the progress of the flames.

Calls arrived around 1:30 p.m. on Friday reporting a fire in front of a home in the Oakland hills. As crews arrived, the inferno quickly grew, with winds ranging from calm breezes to 40 mph (64 kph) gusts during red-flag conditions.

The fire burned two homes and damaged several others, while forcing hundreds to evacuate. It also closed down the westbound lanes of Interstate 580, but traffic was moving again by Friday night. While some evacuation orders have been lifted, many residents won't be able to return to their homes until the fire is “stabilized and really under control,” Covington said.

Fire crews are also working to remove eucalyptus trees that may pose a danger to homes, as the tree's bark and oils make it prone to fire.

Authorities issued red-flag warnings for fire danger until Saturday across a large swath of the state, from the central coast through the Bay Area and into northern Shasta County, not far from the Oregon border.

“The winds are troublesome, but we've been battling the winds since we got here,” Covington said. “They're incremental, they come and they go. But when they come, they're heavy, so we want to make sure we don't allow for a rekindle.”

A California utility shut off power in 19 counties in the northern and central part of the state as a major “ diablo wind ” — notorious in autumn for its hot, dry gusts — spiked the risk of wildfire.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

The blaze in the Oakland Hills burned a day before the Oct. 19 anniversary of a 1991 fire that destroyed nearly 3,000 homes and killed 25 people.

During a diablo wind, the air is so dry that relative humidity levels plunge, drying out vegetation and making it ready to burn. The name — “diablo” is Spanish for “devil” — is informally applied to a hot wind that blows near the San Francisco region from the interior toward the coast as high pressure builds over the West. The strong winds are expected to last through part of the weekend.

Rolo Tanedo Jr. looks inside his car, which became stuck in a sinkhole, as firefighters battle the Keller Fire burning in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Residents watch as firefighters battle the Keller Fire burning above Interstate 580 in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A firefighter passes a home scorched in the Keller Fire near Interstate 580 in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)