Clunky, cringe and costly: Kyrgios defeats Sabalenka in Battle of the Sexes

As Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios warmed up for their Battle of the Sexes spectacle, the two shared a smile and laugh across the net.

If you’ve ever watched Sabalenka, the women’s world No.1 and a four-time grand slam singles champion, warm-up, you know she never smiles at her opponents.

But when the player on the other side of the net is ranked world No.673 and arrives on a camel, and you enter the stadium in a bedazzled overcoat to Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, you know you can’t take yourself too seriously.

The extravagant entrance was an homage to the 1973 Battle of the Sexes between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, when the latter arrived on a rickshaw pulled by women, while King made a Cleopatra-style entrance on golden glitter carried by men.

But the nod to King’s historic victory didn’t make the match any easier to watch, especially as Kyrgios went on to win 6-3, 6-3 without having to try his hardest.

The fact King didn’t make an appearance at the Dubai spectacle says enough about what the tennis legend thought of the show at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Monday morning (Australia time).

After all, King never wanted to play Riggs. She only agreed to do it after Australian Margaret Court lost to him in straight sets four months earlier.

When Sabalenka won the toss and elected to serve, it was clear neither player knew how seriously to take the match. The answer: serious if you’re winning, not so serious if you’re losing.

It seemed to be the mantra of both players, who were toeing the line between being jovial enough to entertain fans and to shrug it off if they lost, but trying hard enough to make sure they won.

The match very much felt like a family board game night – everyone is smiling, but no one wants to lose.

At times Sabalenka, who is known as the tiger of women’s tennis thanks to the tattoo on her forearm and her fierce style of play, found it hard to keep a lid on her competitive nature.

When a line call didn’t go her way, she didn’t know how much to protest. When she sent a Kyrgios serve into the net, she was unsure how hard to be on herself.

It was clear there was so much more on the line for her, and while Kyrgios didn’t go too hard too quickly, he also made sure he did just enough to win comfortably.

The Australian deployed his two weapons – the serve and drop shot – to get the job done, despite Sabalenka having a smaller court and both players only having a first serve.

Dishearteningly, the Australian didn’t have to play his best to win, and, many of Kyrgios’ balls that were called out would have been in if the court was equal on both sides. If that had been the case, the scoreline could have been much closer to Riggs’ 6-2, 6-1 straight sets defeat of Court.

On match point, in what was a swift service game for Kyrgios, Sabalenka looked up at the scoreboard. It didn’t look like the women’s world No.1 was having fun any more.

Sabalenka managed to save one match point to make it 30-40, before Kyrgios decided to take his novelty timeout. Sabalenka had used hers earlier, and spent half the time doing the macarena.

You have to wonder whether at that moment, as Kyrgios was slowly drawing out the end, Sabalenka regretted it at all.

When Kyrgios sealed victory, the two shared a hug at the net.

As Kyrgios lifted the trophy to Queen’s We Are the Champions, it looked like even Kyrgios was questioning whether the match had been a good idea, as he tried to share victory and his trophy with Sabalenka.

But that’s not how the Belarusian rolls. She either wins, or she doesn’t.

The question now is whether another women’s star will take up the challenge of playing Kyrgios like King did all those years ago, and how much damage this match has done for women’s tennis.

If Sabalenka’s post-match interview is anything to go by, she plans to play Kyrgios again.

“I think it was a great level. I made a lot of great shots, moved a lot to the net, great drop shots Nick, great serving, and I really enjoyed the show,” she said.

“I feel like next time when I play him, I really know the tactic, I know his strength, his weaknesses, and it’s going to be a better match for sure ... I love to challenge myself, and I’d love to play again.”

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