A few spin shots, a few backhands, a bit of a battle with an eventual winner. Nick Kyrgios takes the “battle of the sexes” of modern tennis with a double 6-3: the world queen, Aryna Sabalenka, who had also punctuated the long-awaited match in Dubai with announcements of an easy victory over her opponent who had sunk to no.671 in the ATP ranking, lost in two sets in just over an hour and a quarter of the match. An exhibition match that recalled the famous challenge dated September 1973 won by Billie Jean King, at the height of her career, over the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs.
A match that marked a before and after not only in tennis. Nothing to do with the 2025 gender derby, an event of money and sponsors which had the Dubai Arena as its stage, with a modified court – Sabalenka’s half was 9% smaller, to rebalance the average differences in the speed of movement between men and women, with a curious “step effect” from the television view – and with the limit of only one serve for each of the two contenders.
“I’m sure it will be a high level match and that I will win” the provocation of the Belarusian champion. But it didn’t happen that way. Of course the n.1 scored the two best points of the match (both with forehands) but the Australian who boasts 13th place in the rankings in his golden age in the end managed to take home the match. Who only exploited the name of the most famous battle of the sexes of over 50 years ago: “That challenge represented a historic moment – Sabalenka said – we do it to have fun and to make tennis grow”. And for lovers of the genre there was no shortage of spectacle: Kyrgios arrives at the Arena on a camel, while Sabalenka, a bit like Rocky Balboa, makes her entrance in a silver coat before revealing the total black outfit. The opening game belongs to the Belarusian, who then gives up serve to zero. Former football greats such as Kakà and Ronaldo were also in the stands to applaud, and Kyrgios secured the first 6-3. Sabalenka runs – the Australian doesn’t keep up on form – cancels three match points (one with a cross-court backhand volley), but on the fourth Kyrgios finds the winning serve for the final 6-3.
The defeat weighs on the 27-year-old from Minsk: “I felt great. I think I fought great. He was in difficulty, he got very tired. I think the level was very high, I made many beautiful shots, I often went to the net, short balls. I really enjoyed myself, and in any case it was a useful test: against a man, tennis is totally different.” And he proposes a rematch: “The next time I play against him I will already know the tactics, his strengths and weaknesses, and it will certainly be a better match. I love testing myself and I would like to face him again.” “She is a great fighter, it was a tough challenge that could have ended differently. I would be happy to face her again” admitted Kyrgios. New episodes are announced, perhaps a good series for TV platforms looking for new formats.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
