What was originally expected to be a January 2026 “Battle of the Sexes” match pitting World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against current World No. 652 Nick Kyrgios is now slated to happen on December 28, 2025 in Dubai.
Aryna Sabalenka will face Nick Kyrgios in a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition match later this year 🎾
Here’s everything you need to know 👇 pic.twitter.com/Q1gM4678d7
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 4, 2025
Two months ago when the initial news broke that this was going to happen, Kyrgios openly stated that he expects to win and for it to not be close.
Tennis Twitter has a lot of opinions on this match, and spoiler alert: no one is having sentimental feels for this one like they did the original with Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
What Tennis Twitter Is Saying
Some question Kyrgios as the male opponent. He has been dealing with a wrist injury for the past couple of years and has barely been able to play. One fan wondered if Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner would be a better match.
Another fan is wondering what this will prove. Billie Jean King’s Battle of the Sexes was meant to address the disparity in pay and prominence between female and male athletes. Her win succeeded in advancing female athletes to the positions that they have today across multiple professional sports including golf, soccer, basketball, and tennis.
Someone else thinks that Kyrgios will either “clown around and make it entertaining or he will fully win 6-0 6-0.”
One tennis fan questioned how Sabalenka will handle the situation. “Will she sulk pout and look miserable as she always does when things aren’t going her way?”
Many believe that this exhibition does a disservice to Sabalenka and women’s tennis regardless of the result. If Sabalenka loses, she will be criticized for losing to the World No. 652 ATP player. If she wins, it will be considered no big deal because of the ranking disparity between the two.
Long Tennis Season Is Now Lengthened With Events Like This
While the “Battle of the Sexes” is the headliner, there is no doubt that players complain about the length of the tennis season and then compete in events like this. There are US exhibitions in December: one in New Jersey featuring Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu among others and one in Charlotte featuring Madison Keys, Venus Williams, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe.
Carlos Alcaraz will headline a new tennis exhibition in New Jersey this December alongside Tiafoe, Raducanu and Anisimova.
🥎⏰The match will be held on Sunday, December 7, 2025 ⏰
The event will feature two best-of-three matches with a 10-point tiebreaker for the third set 🎾 pic.twitter.com/uun4VRAZ43
— Alcaraz Updates🐝 (@alcarazzupdates) September 4, 2025
