Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios went head-to-head in an intriguing Battle of the Sexes match, with the male star coming out on top.
Kyrgios overcame Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 in their meeting in Dubai, which had come under heavy criticism beforehand.
Sabalenka wasn’t interested in the criticism, with Kyrgios hitting back at critics, urging them to “sit back and enjoy the show”.
A total of 17,000 fans took to the Coca-Cola Arena in a bid to do exactly that, with many more watching on from home.
What was your opinion on the Battle of the Sexes match?
Tennis fans complain about Battle of the Sexes court size
But rather than enjoying the experience, many tennis fans had a major complaint about Sabalenka’s side of the court being 9% smaller than Kyrgios’.
Addressing the issue, one fan wrote on X: “This Battle of the Sexes match does nothing for women’s tennis. Nick Kyrgios is barely trying, they’ve made her side of the court smaller for some dumb reason and they can’t even broadcast it properly. Just an absolute farce all round.”
Another agreed: “The court is ridiculous! So the women’s number one just hits as normally as she’s used to every match, while the guy who has barely played in three years has to hit a table tennis table so she barely has to run. Utterly ridiculous.”
More tennis fans concurred, commenting: “Ok this court looks absolutely awful on tv,” and “This is stupid”.
Further criticism arrived, with another fan noting: “Yes, the court is ridiculous. But not as ridiculous as Kyrgios hitting shots and returns at 50% power.”
And it didn’t end there, as another fan said: “The whole Battle of the Sexes situation was incredibly stupid but the worst part of it to me is Sabalenka allowing them to make her side of the court smaller.”
Aryna Sabalenka clearly enjoyed playing against Nick Kyrgios despite criticism
The 9% court size reduction was an attempt to level the playing field, as was the rule permitting both players to have just one serve.
But the former particularly proved difficult for fans to get on board with, which was understandable simply given how strange it looked.
Of course, the smaller court size also didn’t help Sabalenka’s hopes for a truly fair encounter with ATP star Kyrgios.
Which two players in tennis history would you like to see in a Battle of the Sexes match?
Still, she clearly enjoyed the test against a male player and a close friend, having laughed and smiled constantly throughout the match.
The friendly nature of the contest was evident from the very start, with the match involving situations such as a dance from Sabalenka and many celebrity appearances.
Above all else, the match has got people talking, which would definitely have been one of the main goals of both Sabalenka and Kyrgios.
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