Aryna Sabalenka vs Nick Kyrgios: ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match set for Dubai in December 2025

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and Australian showman Nick Kyrgios will meet in a one-off “Battle of the Sexes” tennis exhibition match at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on 28 December.

The event, organised by the pair’s shared management agency Evolve, will be the first of its kind in over three decades.

The original “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973—when Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs before a global TV audience of 90 million—became a milestone for gender equality in sport. Sabalenka said she’s “ready to bring [her] A-game,” while Kyrgios vowed to “entertain” in a modern revival of tennis’s most famous gender face-off.

Sabalenka, 27, enters the match riding a rich run of form, including consecutive women's singles US Open titles and a Madrid Open win. Kyrgios, 30, a 2022 men's singles Wimbledon finalist, is ranked 650 after an 18-month wrist injury that kept him out of competition. He has played only five matches this year but remains one of tennis’s most magnetic personalities.

Details about the match format have yet to be confirmed, though organisers are reportedly exploring serving limits and possible court adjustments.

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