Nick Kyrgios beat Aryna Sabalenka 6‑3, 6‑3 on Sunday in a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition match billed as a modern take on Billie Jean King’s famous win over Bobby Riggs over 50 years ago.
The clash between four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka and former world number 13 Kyrgios was billed as entertainment but critics warned it risked reducing women’s tennis to a sideshow and trivialising its progress towards equality.
Kyrgios and Sabalenka dismissed the negativity surrounding the event, saying they were surprised by the reactions. Kyrgios accused the media of amplifying the negative voices.
The match that gave the event its name was the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” when women’s tennis pioneer King beat former Grand Slam winner Riggs, who had said the standard of women’s tennis could never match that of the men’s game.
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