Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Nick Kyrgios Wins latest edition of “Battle of the Sexes” in tennis by defeating top-ranked female player Arina Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 in an exhibition match that represented mild entertainment rather than another historic moment for gender equality.
There was banter between players during timeouts, some under-arm serves, over-the-top grunting on shots and even some dancing from Sabalenka to entertain the crowd at the 17,000-seat Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai — where the most expensive tickets sold for nearly $800.
Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up, who has played only six tour-level matches over the past three years due to wrist and knee injuries, looked to be playing within himself at times and suffered the disadvantage of Sabalenka’s side of the court being about 10% smaller in an effort to level the playing field. Players were given only one serve per point instead of two.
By the time Kyrgios won his third match point, he was drenched in sweat and both were smiling as they hugged at the net.
Kyrgios admitted to feeling nervous and “tied up”.
“I think it’s a great step forward for the game of tennis,” the Australian said.
Sabalenka said the match was good preparation for next season, with the Australian Open coming up in January, and she would like to play Kyrgios again for “revenge”.
“Really enjoyed the show,” she said, “and I think the next time I play him I’ll know the strategy, his strengths and his weaknesses, and it will definitely be a better match.”
The so-called “Battle of the Sexes” was a name derived from the 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which King won in straight sets at the Houston Astrodome and took place amid King’s efforts to start a women’s tour and achieve equal pay in tennis.
Fifty-two years later and the latest iteration had no real wider cultural significance. Instead, Sabalenka and Kyrgios – members of the same agency Evolve that arranged the exhibition – just wanted to put on a show, engage the young audience and make some money.
Kyrgios could be considered a controversial choice to play in such a match, as he pleaded guilty to pushing a former girlfriend to the ground during an argument in 2021 – he escaped punishment on a simple assault charge – and has already expressed his opposition to equal pay in tennis.
