One of the more high profile tennis matches of the month took place this past Sunday as Nick Kyrgios of Canberra, Australia, defeated four-time grand slam champion Aryna Sabalenka of Minsk, Belarus 6-3, 6-3 in an exhibition match. Normally, I have zero interest in anything that contains the term “exhibition,” but the fact a man played a woman in Dubai, made me show interest in the result even though the match could not be seen on North American television live, or not at all.
According to Jonathan Jurejko of BBC, the match lacked “intensity.” The rules were altered as both players were only given one serve each, and the dimensions were changed slightly in Sabalenka’s favour. Kyrgios’s target when serving was 9% less than when Sabalenka was serving in order to equal the playing field.
The rule alterations in my opinion were not a favourable decision. The dimensions should have been the same because if Sabalenka would have been victorious, her win might have included an asterisk. If you are going to have a match here, play by the proper rules. Don’t change the number of serves. Tennis is supposed to be played with two service opportunities per point, and anything less or more is absurd.
Sabalenka is currently the world’s number one on the women’s side by a wide margin. She has 10870 points, and Iga Swiatek of Poland is second with 8395 points. Kyrgios, meanwhile, who has battled numerous injuries within the last year, is 671st in the world, and trying to get into the proper shape to participate in the 2026 Australian Open.
It is too early to analyze the benefits of the match. However, already, Sabalenka wants a rematch. Jurejko has since asked, “What did Sabalenka and Kyrgios’ Battle of the Sexes achieve?”. At first glance, my answer is nothing much.
