Show match in Dubai: Tennis duel of the sexes: Kyrgios beats Sabalenka

The permanently injured Kyrgios, who has not played an official match on the tour since March and has fallen to number 671 in the world rankings, rarely had serious problems with the currently best tennis player in the world. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist was far from his top physical shape.

“I put up a great fight,” Sabalenka said afterwards and indirectly offered Kyrgios a rematch: “I love revenge and I love challenges. I would love to play again.” Kyrgios paid his opponent great respect: “She is such a great champion.”

Criticism from the scene

Sabalenka’s entrance in a glittering suit to the song “Eye of the Tiger” showed that the focus was on fun and not seriousness. During a break, the four-time Grand Slam tournament winner also danced for the audience. Among the spectators in the Coca-Cola Arena was Brazil’s former soccer star Ronaldo.

Sabalenka and Kyrgios, who are under contract with the same consulting agency, did a lot of advertising for the show event before the first serve. But there was also plenty of criticism from the tennis scene. One point of criticism was that Sabalenka and therefore women’s tennis could not win anything in this match.

Slightly adjusted rules

There were a few changes compared to normal tennis matches. So both protagonists only had one serve. There were no changes of sides as Sabalenka’s side of the pitch was nine percent smaller than Kyrgios’s. The aim was to create conditions that were as fair as possible.

From an anatomical perspective, men hit harder than women, even though Sabalenka is one of the most powerful players on the tennis tour.

Tennis Battle of the Sexes from 1973

The tennis battle of the sexes originated in 1973. Bobby Riggs, former world number one and Wimbledon winner, challenged the top players at the age of 55. The Australian Margaret Court, then the most successful player in the world, suffered a crushing defeat 2:6, 1:6, which went down in history as the “Mother’s Day Massacre”.

A little later, Billie Jean King won against Riggs, and this victory was a huge success for women’s sports. More than 50 million people watched in the USA alone. The spectacle was made into a film in 2017, starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell.