Kyrgios beats Sabalenka 6-3 6-3 in ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis showdown

Kyrgios, who is presently 671st successful men’s rankings, bushed the four-time Grand Slam singles champion successful consecutive sets.

Nick Kyrgios bushed women’s satellite fig 1 Aryna Sabalenka successful the “Battle of the Sexes”, successful a highly-publicised showdown with modified rules that divided tennis fans.

Former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios won 6-3, 6-3 successful an accumulation lucifer successful Dubai connected Sunday that bore small resemblance to the era-defining 1973 brushwood betwixt Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

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Back then, determination was much astatine involvement with the nascent women’s nonrecreational tour, acceptable up by King, warring for its legitimacy and prize wealth for pistillate players inactive acold little than for the men.

King, 1 of the all-time greats of the women’s crippled who was astatine the highest of her powers, saw disconnected the 55-year-old Riggs, a apical subordinate successful his day, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 successful Houston.

On Sunday, each subordinate received lone 1 service and the dimensions of Sabalenka’s broadside of the tribunal were 9 percent smaller, successful an effort to restrict Kyrgios’ powerfulness and velocity advantage.

Kyrgios has dropped to 671 successful the rankings aft playing conscionable six ATP matches implicit the past 3 seasons, but the 30-year-old Australian inactive had capable to spot disconnected four-time Grand Slam singles champion Sabalenka.

The maverick Australian was drenched successful sweat and appeared retired of enactment successful the 2nd acceptable ‌after going 1-3 down, portion his hostile danced to the euphony ‌during a strategical timeout, but helium ⁠persevered to marque it 3-3 aft Belarusian Sabalenka sent a changeable long.

Kyrgios, who shortened the points with cheeky driblet shots ‌and utilized variations connected his service to bully effect, pulled distant to seal the triumph connected service ‍before sharing a lukewarm hug with Sabalenka astatine the net.

“Honestly, it was a truly pugnacious match. She’s a hellhole of a competitor,” said Kyrgios.

“I had to strap successful due to the fact that she was putting the unit connected and yet it was a truly hard-fought battle.”

Sabalenka said she would “love” a rematch.

“I felt great. I enactment connected a large fight. He was struggling. He was getting tired. I was blessed to spot that,” she said.

“It was a large level [of tennis]. I made a batch of large shots. I truly enjoyed the show. I consciousness similar adjacent clip erstwhile I play him I cognize each his tactics and strengths.”