Nick Kyrgios came out on top in his showdown with Aryna Sabalenka in their Battle of the Sexes-style match in Dubai on Sunday.
The former Wimbledon finalist clinched a 6-3, 6-3 win over the world’s highest-ranked women’s player in an event that has divided opinion in the sport. Kyrgios’ victory comes ahead of his return to competitive tennis next month following a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury. He is hoping to receive a wild card for the Australian Open, which Sabalenka will be aiming to win for a third time.
“Honestly, it was a really tough match. She’s (Sabalenka) a hell of a competitor and such a great champion,” said Kyrgios.
“She’s a multiple Grand Slam champion and I didn’t really know what to expect. She broke my serve numerous times and I had to strap in because she was putting the pressure on. She was hitting some amazing shots.”
Leading up to the showdown, there had been a debate surrounding the necessity for such an event. Historically, Battle of the Sexes matches were used in the campaign for equal prize money and creating a level playing field in tennis regardless of gender. Billie Jean King, who famously defeated Bobby Riggs in 1973, previously said her match was for ‘social change’, which she doesn’t believe applies to Sabalenka’s clash with Kyrgios.
Nevertheless, the duo have shrugged off criticism with Sabalenka telling BBC Sport the match will ‘bring women’s tennis to a higher level.’ Meanwhile, Kyrgios said on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel that it is a ‘show of unity.’
The reality of the event was for pure entertainment, which is something the organisers, Evolve, knew from the start and used the term ‘battle of the sexes’ to help promote it. It is understood that nearly all tickets (roughly 6000) were sold for a venue with prices ranging from £100 in the upper tiers to more than £600 to be sat courtside, according to figures provided by The Independent.
To their credit, both Sabalenka and Kyrgios were locked in throughout the encounter. The women’s world No.1 utilised her powerful ball striking to hand her Australian rival a stern challenge, with some entertaining rallies occurring. Although towards the end of the opening set, Sabalenka became more erratic on the court. She continued fighting by saving two set points before a mistake at the net handed Kyrgios a 6-3 lead.
For those watching from afar, viewers were left frustrated with numerous issues with the broadcast from Dubai, with BBC One at one stage losing the stream. There were also issues with the match being in sync with the sound.
Kyrgios, who is currently ranked outside the top 600 following a series of injury setbacks, found himself trailing early on in the second frame before working his way to draw level. He then moved to a game from victory after Sabalenka produced a forehand mishit when facing a break point. Serving for victory, he failed to convert his first match point before calling a time-out for some strange reason, which appeared to fire up his rival, who appeared somewhat bemused by his decision. Eventually, he sealed the match with a serve out wide.
“I was nervous,” Kyrgios admitted. “I don’t think many people would have put their hand up to be in this position but Aryna was up for the challenge.
“The scoreline was closer than it was.
“This was all the world was talking about for the last six months. I’m just glad from where I was a year and a half ago, two years ago, I was sidelined. I wasn’t even able to use my right hand. To even get back out here and play and to compete with someone as great as Aryna is pretty emotional.”
As for Sabalenka, she has no regrets about her decision to play against Kyrgios and even talked about the possibility of a rematch in the future.
“I think I put up a great fight and he was struggling. He got really tight and I’m happy to see that the guy is getting tight and taking away one of my serves; it was a great level.” Sabalenka commented.
“I really enjoyed the show and I feel like next time when I play him, I already know the tactics. I know his strengths and weaknesses, and it’s going to be a better match for sure. So, we could maybe do this one more time at some point. I love to challenge myself and I would love to play again.”
Kyrgios has also lent his support behind the idea of a rematch, going on to claim the event is a ‘stepping stone forward’ for tennis in terms of promoting the sport to a wider audience.
