Sabalenka vs Kyrgios: Battle of the Sexes – start time, rules, how to watch

Sabalenka vs Kyrgios: Battle of the Sexes - start time, rules, how to watch In a revamp of the 1973 mixed singles match, Aryna Sabalenka will play Nick Kyrgios on Sunday in Dubai. Who: Aryna Sabalenka vs Nick Kyrgios What: “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition tennis match Where: Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates When: Sunday at 7.45pm (15:45 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream. Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka will take on Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition tennis match in Dubai on Sunday. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 The Ashes: Cricket’s Longest Argument list 2 of 4 Jokic sets new NBA triple-double record in Nuggets OT victory over Wolves list 3 of 4 AFCON 2025: Nigeria seek sharper edge against Tunisia in pivotal clash list 4 of 4 Man Utd’s Bruno Fernandes ‘impossible’ to replace, says Amorim Sabalenka, 27, will face the 30-year-old former Wimbledon finalist in a modern rendition of tennis icon Billie Jean King’s 1973 showdown with fellow American Bobby Riggs, which turned out to be a watershed moment for both tennis and the women’s movement. Here is all to know before their much anticipated showdown: How did the Sabalenka-Kyrgios match come about? Kyrgios, who was ranked as high as 13 in the world in men’s singles, threw down the gauntlet to Sabalenka during the US Open in September, saying in an interview he would easily dispatch the Belarusian without having to try “100 percent to win”. He said women cannot return professional men’s serves and claimed he would defeat the world’s top-ranked female player. Sabalenka responded by saying she was ready to “kick a**”, which eventually led to Evolve, the marketing agency that represents both players, organising this weekend’s matchup. What’s the history behind the ‘Battle of the Sexes’? The original “Battle of the Sexes” took place in 1973 between King, then 29, and Riggs, 55, at the Houston Astrodome. King, a 12-time singles Grand Slam champion, made history when she defeated the former men’s world number one amateur player 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in a matchup that drew an estimated 90 million TV viewers worldwide. King’s straight-sets victory was considered a pivotal moment for women’s sport at the time and solidified her status as a sports and feminist icon of her generation. What are the rules for ‘Battle of the Sexes’? Sabalenka, speaking on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube show on December 9, said it would be “really tough” to compete against a male player of Kyrgios’s standard using a full court and standard rules. As a result, there are several rule modifications for this match: The players will be limited to just one serve instead of two. Sabalenka’s side of the court will be 9 percent smaller than a normal tennis court. It will be a best-of-three-sets contest - with a 10-point tiebreaker in...

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