- - Battle of the Sexes: Nick Kyrgios wins in straight sets over Aryna Sabalenka

Chris Cwik December 28, 2025 at 11:23 PM

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Australia's Nick Kyrgios and Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka share a laugh prior to their Battle of the Sexes exhibition tennis match in Dubai on Dec. 28, 2025. (AMR ALFIKY via Getty Images)

In 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the second-ever "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match. Aryna Sabalenka tried to replicate that excellence Sunday against Nick Kyrgios, but fell short of that goal.

In the end, Kyrgios walked away with the win, downing Sabalenka in straight sets (6-3, 6-3).

Nick Kyrgios vince la 'Battle of the Sexes' battendo Aryna Sabalenka con un doppio 6-3. pic.twitter.com/84s2pHIDcn

— Quindici Zero 🎾 (@quindicizero) December 28, 2025

The match featured a few modifications to even the playing field, but those didn't seem to impact Kyrgios much. Ahead of the contest, it was announced that both players would have one serve per point and that Sabalenka's side of the court would be reduced by nine percent.

Both changes were made to help give Sabalenka an advantage. With the serve rule in effect, it was believed Kyrgios wouldn't be able to unload serves with as much power, fearing he would lose points. In the end, though, Sabalenka struggled with her serve, giving up points to Kyrgios throughout the match.

While Sabalenka appeared frustrated at times during the match, she was happy with her performance and seemed excited about the prospect of playing Kyrgios again, per The Athletic.

"I felt great. I put on a great fight and he was struggling, he got really tired. It was a great level, I made a lot of great shots, moved to the net, great drop shots and great serving. I enjoyed the show. Next time I play him, I already know his strengths, his weaknesses and it will be a better show for sure.

“I love challenges and I would love to play (him) again. It felt different; the court is different. Playing against a guy is competitive, it was faster and good for my fitness. I hope over the next few days I'll have a good few days off and keep bringing joy to people watching me over the season"

Kyrgios called it a "really tough match," and credited Sabalenka for putting "the pressure on."

It was a heavily questioned event, with some wondering whether Kyrgios, who spent much of the past couple years injured, was out of shape or not giving 100 percent effort. The latter was an issue coming into the event, as Emma Raducanu questioned whether either player would try hard.

King, whose victory over Riggs in 1973 was made into a movie appropriately titled "Battle of the Sexes," also criticized the event, saying her match against Riggs was about "social change." King said she was rooting for Sabalenka, but that the event was "just not the same," per the Independent.

"The only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That's it,” King, now 82, said. “Everything else, no. Ours was about social change; culturally, where we were in 1973. This one is not. I hope it's a great match. I want Sabalenka, obviously, to win. But it's just not the same.”

With the fourth "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match in the books, only one of the matches has been won by a woman. That would be King, who took down Riggs in 1973. Earlier that year, Riggs defeated Margaret Court to win the first-ever "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match.

The match was brought back in 1992, with Jimmy Connors defeating Martina Navratilova in straight sets.

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Source: “AOL Sports”