“Background, all the nuances and rules of the upcoming match between a tennis player and a tennis playerβ, β write: sport.ua
In September 2025, Kyrgios said during the US Open that he would easily defeat Sobolenko without giving “one hundred percent effort to win”. Nick stated that women could not hit the serves of professional men and claimed that he would beat the best female tennis player in the world. Sobolenko replied that she was ready to “kick his ass”, which eventually led to the fact that the marketing agency Evolve, which represents the interests of Arina and Nick, organized the match, which was called “Battle of the Sexes”.
The meeting between Sobolenko and Kyrios will begin on Sunday at the “Coca-Cola Arena” in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) on indoor hard at approximately 18:00 Kyiv time. Bookmakers give an obvious advantage to Kyrgios – 1.20 to Nik and 4.20 to Sobolenko.
IN regulations some changes were made to the upcoming match:
- Players will only be able to serve once, not twice
- The size of the court on which Sobolenko will play will be 9 percent smaller than on a regular tennis court
- The match consists of three sets, with a tiebreaker of up to 10 points in the deciding game if necessary
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Arina Sobolenko and Nick Kyrios The meeting is officially considered the first and only “Battle of the Sexes”. Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs 52 years ago.
In 1971, having already finished his career long ago, Bobby said that he could easily cope with Billie Jean King and Margaret Court – the two best tennis players on the planet at that time. Two years later, it was possible to arrange a meeting between Riggs and Margaret, and King initially refused the challenge. On May 13, 1973, Riggs defeated Margaret 6-2, 6-1 on Mother’s Day and continued to make a mockery of women’s tennis.
On September 20, 1973, 29-year-old King and 55-year-old Riggs met at the Houston Astrodome stadium in a match with a prize fund of 100,000 dollars.
Billie Jean King appeared on the court in the image of Cleopatra: she was carried on a litter decorated with feathers, carried by four muscular men with bare torsos, stylized as slaves of Ancient Egypt. Bobby Riggs followed in a rickshaw pulled by a group of models. In this way, both athletes emphasized the circus, provocative nature of the event. Before the match, Riggs handed King a giant lollipop with the words “Sugar Daddy” written on it, a mocking symbol of his public statements about male supremacy in sports. In response, King gave him a squealing piglet, which became an ironic symbol of male chauvinism. Riggs also actively bet on the outcome of the match, including betting on himself, and invested significant sums in this confrontation.
Billie Jean King, a 12-time Grand Slam singles champion, made history by defeating the former top-ranked amateur and professional 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. At that time, more than 30 thousand fans were present in the arena, and 90 million fans watched the game on TV.
