December 28, (THEWILL) — At Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday, Nick Kyrgios defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 6-3 in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match that drew a sold-out crowd. The contest between the former world number 13 and the four-times Grand Slam champion ignited controversy over its relevance to women’s tennis.
The event borrowed its name from the 1973 encounter in which Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs, a 55-year-old former champion, who had claimed women’s tennis could never match the men’s standard. King told the BBC that Sunday’s clash lacked the social stakes of her own contest. Critics warned the modern version risked reducing women’s tennis to a sideshow rather than celebrating genuine equality.
Modified rules included a one-serve-per-point system and a slightly smaller court on Sabalenka’s side. Kyrgios, who has competed in only five professional singles matches in 2025 due to wrist and knee injuries, used drop shots and varied serves to break for a 4-3 lead in the opening set. Sabalenka went ahead 3-1 in the second set whilst Kyrgios appeared out of breath, but he recovered to level at 3-3 before pulling away to complete victory.
Kyrgios admitted feeling nervous and said the scoreline appeared closer than the final margin suggested. Sabalenka broke serve multiple times and forced her opponent into difficult positions throughout the match. Both players embraced warmly at the net afterwards.
The pair praised each other following the contest. Sabalenka said she believed she had put on a great fight and noted that Kyrgios had appeared tight during key moments. Kyrgios described his opponent as a great competitor and expressed willingness to face her again, though the broader debate over the event’s appropriateness continued beyond the court.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
