Nick Kyrgios beats Aryna Sabalenka as Battle of the Sexes ‘farce’ slammed by fans
Modified rules, a resized court and one-serve limits overshadowed the exhibition as fans questioned what the match proved.
Nick Kyrgios defeated Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets on Sunday in the much-hyped Battle of the Sexes, an exhibition match that was swiftly slammed by fans online as a “farce.”
The contest revived the perennial question of whether an elite female player can compete with a male opponent. However, Kyrgios and Sabalenka, who share the same representation agency, competed under so-called equalization rules, which many fans argued rendered the match meaningless from the outset.
A court, and rules, unlike any other
The court at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai was modified so that Sabalenka’s side was 9% smaller, a change intended to compensate for differences in speed and power. Additionally, both players were limited to a single serve, with no second serves allowed, in an effort to neutralize men’s world No. 671 Kyrgios’s biggest weapon.
“Originally I was supposed to have two serves and him one, but he got so stressed and worked up that he ended up taking one away from me,” Sabalenka joked before the clash. “Even so, I’m going to kick his ass.”
That is not how things ultimately turned out, although the world No. 1 in women’s tennis was widely praised for her play and for putting on a show on court, as fans have come to expect.
Social media backlash pours in
Many viewers, however, took to social media to vent their frustration with how the Battle of the Sexes was staged.
“Ok this court looks absolutely awful on tv…” opined Portuguese tennis commentator José Morgado.
“The #battleofthesexes match was a farce,” wrote one X user. “Sabalenka limited by no second serves. Kyrgios limited by the strange size of the court he’s hitting in to. All that did was satisfy a load of misogynistic men who don’t normally watch tennis.”
“Think they should have made it a proper court and 2 serves,” posted another. “A bit patronising for Sabalenka and women’s tennis.”
Sabalenka panned for participating
Some fans were even more critical of Sabalenka herself for agreeing to take part, arguing that the exhibition did more harm than good for women’s tennis.
“Aryna Sabalenka choosing to be part of this whole thing with Kyrgios is already a no for me, and now the court is not even aligned. What the hell is this mess?” questioned one fan.
“Sabalenka losing in straight sets to Kyrgios is exactly what she deserved for playing the match in the first place,” posted another.
“How Sabalenka, WTA no.1 btw, dances after tarnishing the whole legacy set by generations of women in tennis by agreeing to participate in this circus...I hope she’s ashamed, cuz I sure am..hope she goes slamless in 2026,” wrote one scathing tennis follower.
And they were not alone.
“Hope the money was worth it for Sabalenka for taking women’s tennis back to 50 years ago, BJK would be punching a wall right now if she could at her age,” wrote another.
Women vs men contests in tennis
BJK, or Billie Jean King, famously triumphed against Bobby Riggs in 1973, making her the only woman to defeat a man in a professional, semi-official match.
Earlier that same year, Riggs had beaten Margaret Court 6-2, 6-1. Court shares the all-time Grand Slam singles record with Novak Djokovic, with 24 titles apiece.
Later, Martina Navratilova lost to Jimmy Connors in 1992, 7-5, 6-2, despite being allowed two serves to Connors’s one and use of the doubles alleys. In 1998, Germany’s Karsten Braasch beat both Williams sisters, defeating Serena Williams 6-1 and Venus Williams 6-2.
More recently, France’s Yanis Ghazouani Durand defeated Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-2 in an improvised match after Marta Kostyuk withdrew because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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