The tennis mismatch: Advantage men as Sabalenka loses to Kyrgios in lacklustre new Battle of Sexes

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Okay, so everyone kept saying this match was inspired by Billie Jean King absolutely crushing Bobby Riggs back in ’73 at the Astrodome. Honestly, it felt like they were trying to recapture that magic, you know? Like, they wanted to bring that whole ‘Battle of the Sexes’ energy back, but with a modern twist. I was living for it, hoping it would feel as iconic as the original!

The highly anticipated match between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Nick Kyrgios of Australia didn’t deliver on expectations. Sabalenka, the top-ranked woman in the world, lost to Kyrgios, who is ranked 671st among men, on Sunday.

The event held at Dubai’s 17,000-seat Coca-Cola Arena was very different from Billie Jean King’s historic victory that revolutionized women’s tennis.

Although Billie Jean King wanted to play by standard tennis rules to demonstrate a female athlete’s ability to compete with a male player on equal terms, a few changes were made for the exhibition match on Sunday.

To balance the difference in speed between the players, Aryna Sabalenka’s side of the court was reduced in size by nine percent. They also didn’t switch sides during the match, and each player was limited to a single serve, all in an effort to limit Nick Kyrgios’s powerful serve.

Despite being sidelined with an injury since March, Nick Kyrgios, 30, secured a convincing win with a score of 6-3, 6-3.

Aryna Sabalenka, 27, made a stylish entrance wearing a halterneck tennis dress with pink and white sneakers, topped off with a silver trench coat as the song “Eye of the Tiger” played.

Right after the game started, the player—who often posts on TikTok—paused for a minute to perform the macarena. “It was pretty fun, and I enjoy doing unexpected things,” she explained after the match.

Well-known figures like Brazilian football star Ronaldo and former English footballer Peter Crouch showed up late to the event and were quickly taken to their seats during the second set.

Despite losing, Aryna Sabalenka remained optimistic, saying she’ll be better prepared for their next match. She feels she now understands her opponent’s strategy, strengths, and weaknesses. She also noted that competing against a male player presents a different, faster-paced game.

It was a tough match with lots of back-and-forth swings in momentum. I don’t feel like a champion tonight, but it’s amazing to share the court with a player as talented as Aryna. Hopefully, this match shows how exciting tennis can be and helps move the sport forward.

Let me paint the picture for you. When Billie Jean King stepped onto the court, she was at the peak of her game – a 29-year-old with an incredible ten Grand Slam singles titles under her belt. Her opponent, Bobby Riggs? Well, he was a bit of a legend himself, but a retired Wimbledon champion at 55. It was a real David versus Goliath moment, and everyone was watching!

Ms. King’s victory was a major success, not just for her personally, but for all women in sports, as it greatly increased public interest. The story was later made into a 2017 movie featuring Emma Stone and Steve Carell.

Many people felt yesterday’s event seemed calculated, especially since both players are represented by the same company, Evolve. It didn’t look good that Kyrgios had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting his then-girlfriend Chiara Passari in 2021, even though the case was ultimately dismissed.

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2025-12-29 02:03