On December 28, there will be an exhibition match between the world’s first rackets in women’s singles. Arina Sabalenko Finalist at Wimbledon 2022 Nick Kyrgios from Australia.

The so-called “Battle of the Sexes” will take place at the arena in Dubai (UAE) and will start at around 18:00 Kiev time on Sunday.

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The winner will be the person who wins two sets. In the event of a change of game, a tiebreaker of up to 10 points will be determined.

Some changes have been made to the fighting rules. First, each person will only have one attempt to send. Secondly, Sabalenka’s court side will be shortened by 9%.

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tennis legend Billie Jean King He stated that the “Battle of the Sexes” match was played between Arina Sabalenko And Nick Kyrgios It’s “not the same” as his breakthrough reunion with Bobby Riggs.

American King defeated self-proclaimed chauvinist Riggs 6:4, 6:3, 6:3 in a $100,000 winner-take-all match in Houston in September 1973.

An estimated 90 million people worldwide watched the 29-year-old King win the bo5 match against the 55-year-old former Wimbledon and US Open singles champion. The fight is considered an important part of the women’s rights movement and the fight for equality in sports.

World number one Sabalenka, 27, will face Wimbledon 2022 finalist Kyrgios, 30, on December 28 in Dubai. The name of the match was “Battle of the Sexes”.

When asked if he saw any similarities between the matches, King said:

“The only similarity is that one is a man and the other is a woman. That’s it. Everything else is not like that. Our match was about social change, it was about the cultural context of 1973. This match is not about that. I hope the match is great and of course I want Sabalenka to win, but it’s not the same thing.”

Some see the match between four-time Grand Slam singles champion Sabalenka and former world No. 13 Kyrgios as harmless fun, but others believe Sabalenka’s defeat could devalue women’s tennis.

The exhibition match will be played over two sets won and if necessary (1-1 in games) a tiebreaker will be decided up to 10 points.

Each player will serve only once, and Sabalenka’s side of the court will be 9% smaller. Tournament organizers Evolve said women moved around the course an average of 9% slower than men, so it was decided to shorten Arina’s portion of the course.

“I played three bo5 sets with Bobby, on normal court, and didn’t change a thing,” King recalls. “I either play under equal conditions, or I don’t play at all,” I said. And Bobby loved it.”

King’s match came months after Riggs, who died in 1995 aged 77, beat world number one Margaret Court 6-1, 6-2 in the opening match of the Battle of the Sexes series.

The match took place the same year King founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and three years after a group of players known as the “Original Nine” left the tennis body.

The match also took place during the passage of Title IX legislation in the United States, which prohibits gender discrimination in all schools and educational programs and guarantees equal conditions, opportunities, and support for men’s and women’s sports teams.

“My match was really political. It was a very difficult time culturally,” King, 82, added. “I knew I had to defeat him for social change.” “I had many reasons to win.”

On December 28, an exhibition match between the world’s first women’s singles racket will take place in Dubai (UAE). Arina Sabalenko and Australian entertainer Nick KyrgiosHe has long stopped performing consistently on the Tour but is planning his comeback.

In September 2025, Kyrgios said he could easily beat Sabalenka during the US Open without giving “100% effort to win”. Nick said women couldn’t hit professional men’s serves and claimed he would beat the best female tennis player in the world. Sabalenka said she was ready to “kick ass”, which ultimately led to Evolve, the marketing agency representing Arina and Nick’s interests, organizing a match called “Battle of the Sexes”.

The meeting between Sabalenka and Kyrgios will start on Sunday at around 18:00 Kiev time on an indoor hard court at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Bookmakers give Kyrgios a clear advantage: 1.20 on Nick and 4.20 on Sabalenka.

INSIDE regulations Some changes have been made to the upcoming match:

• Players will be able to serve only once, not twice.
• The court on which Sabalenka will play will be 9 percent smaller than a normal tennis court.
• The match consists of three sets with a tiebreaker of up to 10 points in the deciding set if necessary.

Officially considered the first and only “Battle of the Sexes” meeting Billie Jean King And Bobby Riggs 52 years ago.

Bobby, who had already retired from his career in 1971, said that he could easily compete with Billie Jean King and Margaret Court, the two best tennis players on the planet at that time. They managed to arrange a meeting between Riggs and Margaret two years later, but King initially refused the call. On May 13, 1973, Rigss defeated Margaret 6-2, 6-1 on Mother’s Day and continued to make fun of the women’s tournament.

On September 20, 1973, the 29-year-old King and the 55-year-old Riggs met in a $100,000 match at the Houston Astrodome.

Billie Jean King stepped out as Cleopatra, carried on a feathered stretcher by four muscular, bare-chested men designed to resemble ancient Egyptian slaves. Bobby Riggs followed in a rickshaw pulled by a group of models. In this way, both athletes emphasized the circus, provocative nature of the event. Before the game started, Riggs gave King a giant candy spelling out “Sugar Daddy,” a sarcastic symbol of his public statements about male supremacy in sports. In response, King gave him a squealing pig, which became an ironic symbol of male chauvinism. Riggs also bet heavily on the outcome of the match, including betting on himself, and bet significant sums on the encounter.

Billie Jean King, the 12-time Grand Slam singles champion, made history by defeating the former amateur and professional athlete with sets of 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. At that time, there were more than 30 thousand fans in the stadium and 90 million fans were watching the match on television.