Women’s World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was defeated by Nick Kyrgios in the Battle of the Sexes held in Dubai. The controversial showdown saw the Australian take the match convincingly 6-3, 6-3, despite the rules being skewed in favor of Sabalenka. The Belarusian star’s court was 9% smaller than normal dimensions.
After the match, Sabalenka shared her honest reaction, saying she put up a great fight, while also hyping Kyrgios for his drop shots.
“I felt great,” Sabalenka said. “I think I put on a great fight. He was struggling. He got really tight. I’m happy to see the guy is getting tight when taking away one of my serves. 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. I really enjoyed the show.”
Fresh off a straight-set defeat, Sabalenka is already looking forward to the next time they face each other. She is ready for revenge.
“I feel like next time I play him I already know the tactic. I know his strength and weaknesses. It’s gonna be a better match for sure… “Yeah. I love revenge. I love to challenge myself. I would love to play again.”
Aryna Sabalenka after losing to Nick Kyrgios in their Battle of the Sexes match
Aryna: “I felt great. I think I put on a great fight. He was struggling. He got really tight. I’m happy to see the guy is getting tight when taking away one of my serves. I think it was a great… pic.twitter.com/HlfkIsMemg
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 28, 2025
Both players held their serve before Nick Kyrgios broke Sabalenka’s serve to take a 4-3 lead and eventually taking the set 6-3. In the second set, the Belarusian jumped to a 1-3 lead before Kyrgios stormed back by winning five straight games and eventually taking the match. His drop shots and cheeky returns were on full display during this set.
Aryna Sabalenka Gets Honest About Unusual Setting in Battle of the Sexes vs Nick Kyrgios
Aryna Sabalenka also talked about playing in an unusual setting as the Battle of the Sexes were played under slightly altered rules to make the match fair and competitive. Apart from Sabalenka’s smaller court, both players had only one serve to work with.
“The court is different,” Sabalenka added. “I had to do a couple adjustments. Obviously playing against a guy is completely different tennis. Everything much faster. It was a great fitness for me today. I hope for the next couple days I’ll have great recovery and great days off. After this match, I’m pretty much ready for the season. I hope I’ll bring great tennis and bring joy to the people watching me during the season.”
It was a sold out crowd in Dubai to watch this one of a kind matchup. However, on the outside, there has been plenty of noise on what kind of message this matchup was sending across.
