Aryna Sabalenka Vs Nick Kyrgios, Battle Of The Sexes: Date, Time, Rules, When And Where To watch – All You Need To Know

World No. 1 women’s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka is set to face former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios in a much-awaited “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Sunday. The one-off contest is being promoted as a modern-day sequel to the famous 1973 “Battle of the Sexes,” a match that changed how people viewed gender equality in sport.

Kyrgios, who is currently ranked No. 673 on the men’s tour, threw the challenge to Sabalenka during the US Open in September. In an interview, he said he could beat the Belarusian without having to try “100 per cent to win”. He also claimed that women cannot return serves from professional male players.

Sabalenka responded strongly to Kyrgios’ comments, saying, “I’ll try my best to kick his a**.”

Kyrgios then replied, “She’s not going to beat me. Do you really think I have to try 100 per cent?”

The original “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973 came at a time when the feminist movement in the United States was gaining strength. Women were fighting for equal rights, better opportunities, fair pay, reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy. Sport became an important part of that movement, especially tennis. Billie Jean King led the push in women’s tennis by helping create a separate tour and fighting successfully for equal prize money at the US Open.

Former Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs, who was 55 at the time, strongly opposed the movement. He believed men deserved higher pay than women and claimed female players were inferior. To prove his point, he challenged King, who was 29.

Riggs mocked her by saying, “You can’t beat a top male player. You can’t even beat me, a tired old man.”

King first refused the challenge but later agreed after Riggs defeated then women’s world No. 1 Margaret Court in May 1973. What followed became one of the most iconic moments in sports history. In front of 30,000 fans at the Houston Astrodome and around 90 million viewers worldwide, King beat Riggs in straight sets.

Reflecting on the match later, King said, “It was never just about tennis. It was about social change.”

Unlike the historic 1973 clash, the upcoming Sabalenka vs Kyrgios match is not expected to carry the same social message and is mainly for entertainment.

The rules for this exhibition match have been changed. Both players will get only one serve instead of two. Sabalenka’s court will be 9 per cent smaller than a normal tennis court. The match will be played in a best-of-three-sets format, with a 10-point tie-break in the final set if required.

The match is scheduled to begin at 9:15 PM IST and will be available for live streaming on the SonyLIV app.

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