Sabalenka to take on Kyrgios in ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match in Dubai

Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka will take on Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios in a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition match in Dubai on Dec. 28, organisers announced on Tuesday.

Sabalenka will face Kyrgios in a modern rendition of tennis icon Billie Jean King’s 1973 showdown with fellow American Bobby Riggs, which turned out to be a watershed moment for both tennis and the women’s movement.

Played in Houston’s Astrodome, some 90 million tuned in worldwide to watch King storm to a straight sets victory which propelled the fight for equality in sports.

Aged 55 at the time, Riggs had beaten Australia’s Margaret Court four months earlier before King, aged 29, exacted revenge.

In 1992, eight-time Grand Slam champion Jimmy Connors, then aged 40, beat 18-time major winner Martina Navratilova, then 35, under modified rules.

“I have so much respect for Billie Jean King and what she has done for the women’s game,” four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka said in a statement.

“I’m proud to represent women’s tennis and to be part of this modern take of the iconic Battle of the Sexes match.”

Sabalenka and Kyrgios have teased the match on numerous occasions in the past few months, with the contest initially slated to be hosted in Hong Kong.

World number 652 Kyrgios, who has played just five matches this year since returning from a serious wrist injury that kept him out for 18 months, said in September that he could easily beat Sabalenka.

When asked about the Australian’s comments during her run to the US Open title, the Belarusian said she was eager to prove Kyrgios wrong.

“I have a lot of respect for Nick and his talent, but make no mistake, I’m ready to bring my A-game,” Sabalenka said.

Kyrgios reached a career-high singles ranking of 13 in 2016 and also made it to the final of Wimbledon in 2022. The 30-year-old is a major draw on and off the court at Grand Slams with his natural talent and unapologetic personality, which has also landed him in controversies in the past.

The match will take place at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

Sabalenka overpowers Pegula: World number one Aryna Sabalenka earned a 6-4 2-6 6-3 win over Jessica Pegula, while defending champion Coco Gauff put on a clinical performance to beat Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-2 and eliminate the Italian in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Sabalenka, who has won two matches in a row in the round-robin Group Steffi Graf, is on the verge of qualifying for the semi-finals. Gauff and Pegula, who have one win each, also remain in contention for the last four.

“(Pegula) is an incredible player. She always pushed me to the limit... I was thinking, I’m gonna go after my shots, stay aggressive, put all of that speed back on her and hope that I get my chance,” said four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka.

Sabalenka got the first break with a chip across the court to go 4-2 up, but Pegula soon broke back to make it 5-4.

Pegula saved three set points in the next game, but a persistent Sabalenka clinched a decisive break with a powerful forehand from the baseline.

The US Open champion, who had beaten Paolini on Sunday, grew frustrated as she made 13 unforced errors, nearly twice as many as Pegula, as the American got two breaks to build a 5-2 lead before saving two break points to secure the second set.

Sabalenka struggled with double faults as Pegula broke early in the third set. However, the Belarusian responded with returns near the sidelines to get two straight breaks, building a 4-2 lead that proved unassailable for Pegula.

CLINICAL GAUFF ELIMINATES PAOLINI: Two-time Grand Slam winner Gauff, who made 17 double faults when she lost to fellow American Jessica Pegula in her first game in Group Steffi Graf on Sunday, committed only three double faults this time as she dominated the eighth seed earlier in the evening.

The 21-year-old American took just over 10 minutes to build a 3-0 lead in the first set before Paolini went through a nine-minute battle to fend off three break points and win her first game.

Paolini got a break but Gauff drew the Italian into backhand rallies and won points with precise cross-court shots to claim the next game and take a 5-3 lead before holding to win the set.

The French Open champion’s strategy of making Paolini run constantly from one side of the court to the other paid off again when Gauff got back-to-back breaks to go 5-2 up in the second.

Agencies