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.