Nick Kyrgios walked away with the headlines and the win but the bigger argument followed him out of the arena.
The former Wimbledon finalist beat women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday in Dubai in a controversial exhibition billed as a modern-day “Battle of the Sexes,” an event that reignited debate about equality, spectacle and the purpose of crossover tennis showdowns.
Ranked 671 after three injury-ravaged seasons, Kyrgios leaned on experience, power and unpredictability to subdue Sabalenka under a set of rule tweaks designed to level the contest. Both players were limited to one serve, while Sabalenka competed on a court reduced by nine percent on her side.
Kyrgios looked heavy-legged at times but stayed in control, mixing flat groundstrokes with deft touch and improvisation that repeatedly disrupted Sabalenka’s rhythm on the slow surface.
He broke early, dictated the tempo and rarely allowed the Belarusian to settle, even as she flashed moments of brilliance.
“It was a really tough match,” Kyrgios said in his on-court interview. “She’s a hell of a competitor and a great champion. I didn’t know what to expect. She broke my serve a few times and I had to strap in.”
The match arrived more than 50 years after Billie Jean King’s landmark victory over Bobby Riggs in 1973 – a cultural moment that carried far greater stakes.
This version, staged before a sell-out crowd of 17,000 at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena, divided opinion almost instantly.
Critics warned the exhibition risked trivialising the women’s game. King herself said it lacked the meaning of her Houston showdown, while former doubles world No. 1 Rennae Stubbs dismissed it as a publicity stunt and cash grab.
Sabalenka rejected that criticism.
“I honestly don’t understand how people found something negative in this,” she said. “It was entertaining, it wasn’t 6-0, 6-0. It was a fight. It brought more eyes to tennis.”
Sabalenka made a dramatic entrance to “Eye of the Tiger” in a silver jacket and briefly struck first, opening with a fierce cross-court backhand.
But Kyrgios adjusted quickly, breaking serve as the one-serve format began to favor his rhythm and return game.
The atmosphere leaned toward entertainment as much as competition.
Sabalenka danced the Macarena during her 60-second timeouts, while Kyrgios called his own break at match point – cueing the DJ to play “Stayin’ Alive.” Sabalenka saved two match points before falling on the third.
Despite the loss, Sabalenka left encouraged – and eager for a rematch.
“I felt great. I think I put up a great fight,” she said. “I made a lot of great shots, came to the net, used drop shots. Next time, I know his tactics better. I’d love to play again.”
Kyrgios, once ranked as high as No. 13, defended the concept just as strongly, pointing to Sabalenka’s competitiveness – and the attention the match generated.
“Let me remind you, I’m one of the few people who’s beaten all of the Big Four,” he said. “She just proved she can compete against someone who’s beaten the greatest of all time. That’s a positive.”
He also noted that criticism did little to dull the spotlight.
“Everyone who was negative watched,” Kyrgios said. “This has probably been one of the most talked-about events in sport in the last six months. If this happens again, it could become a cultural movement.”
