Kyrgios beats Sabalenka in a Sunday hit and giggle

bombay: It was, at times, firmly to sound what this was.

An endeavor at some unwitting humour: in Nick Kyrgios’s introduction montage, the Australian checked into the venue seated on a camel.

An attempt to jazz up the glam: for Aryna Sabalenka’s entry, the Belarusian emerged from the stands wearing a shiny, glitzy trench coat, while she danced away for the cameras during a mid-match “strategic timeout”.

An attempt at a bit of unique tennis: around plenty of giggles and banter between points, there was, to be fair, some of that too.

You may call it what you want – exhibition; entertainment; spectacle; anything but tennis as the world knows it. But in what was called the “Battle of the Sexes” of the modern era, Kyrgios, a 30-year-old men’s tennis pro with one ATP match win this year, beat Sabalenka, the 27-year-old women’s world No.1 with one Grand Slam title and 59 WTA match wins this year, 6-3, 6-3 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

The start resembled more a concert than a legitimate sporting exhibition. There was plenty of fun and games through it but, in fleeting moments, a pinch of tennis too; even if the court dimensions were skewed and the rules tweaked.

Sabalenka, arguably the most consistent women’s player over the past couple of seasons, at times matched Kyrgios, the injury-ravaged pro who’s competed precious little in the last two years and played in a friendly league in Bengaluru before flying to Dubai, from the back of the court. Kyrgios, of the big serve and cheeky shots, was huffing and puffing towards the back end of the second set.

“It was a really tough match. She’s a hell of a competitor,” said Krygios.

“I think I put on a great fight,” said Sabalenka. “Really enjoyed the show.”

Show being the operative word here.

The match, the setting, its protagonists, and the terminology, with its historical connotation, had elicited sharp opinions from within the tennis community and beyond.

It was clear, much before the first shot of this match was hit and soon after the concept was announced, that this wasn’t going to be even remotely similar to one of the OG “Battle of the Sexes”.

That 1973 piece of history – where a 29-year-old Billie Jean King, among the founders of the current Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), beat a 55-year-old Bobby Riggs – was a watershed moment in King’s advocacy for better treatment of professional women athletes. This 2025 exhibition of razzmatazz was an exercise to, as Sabalenka and Kyrgios both insisted, put on a show, entertain, and maybe attract a new reels-hooked audience to the sport.

“I am not putting myself at any risk. We’re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins,” Sabalenka had said earlier.

Sabalenka, the current queen of women’s tennis, was not out to be King.

Sabalenka was sure out to put on a show, though. And Kyrgios was happy to play his part. Watched by what seemed a sold-out 17,000-seater arena, Sabalenka often broke into a dance. Kyrgios threw in the underarm serve. The two chuckled at each other, bantered between points and shared a hug at the end of it.

It was also clear that this contest wasn’t, in the purest sense of the term, a contest. Like with some previous “Battle of the Sexes”, there were tweaks to narrow the obvious difference “that the man is biologically stronger than the woman”, as Sabalenka had put it. And, that men’s and women’s tennis, as Serena Williams once famously said, are almost two separate sports.

Sabalenka’s half of the court was 9% smaller because as per data by organisers Evolve – it also manages both these athletes – women players move around 9% slower than men on average. Both also had just one serve, the most dominant weapon in the men’s game, and indeed even in Kyrgios’.

And so, without the second serve, there were breaks flying thick and fast in the first set. Kyrgios took some time to adjust to the changed dimensions on the other side of the court. Sabalenka exploited the angles, but once the Australian got a hang of it, that was that in terms of the tennis bit. It had its little moments, like when a powerful Sabalenka forehand down the line winner on the run left Kyrgios stranded.

However, in the end, this was more about a couple of people having some fun on court. You may call it what you want. “Battle of the Sexes”? Perhaps best to leave aside the apt terminology to sum this up.

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