Who Won 'Battle of the Sexes' 2025? Aryna Sabalenka vs Nick Kyrgios match recap

The much-awaited, highly-controversial 'Battle of the Sexes' clash between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka took place on Sunday, December 28, in Dubai. The win went the Aussie's way, as he prevailed in a straight-set victory on the night.

Kyrgios took on Sabalenka in one of the most unusual matches tennis has ever seen. The players did not switch sides, as Kyrgios had to play the entirety of the clash on a normal-sized court compared to Sabalenka's 9%-smaller court half. Both players also had just one serve instead of the usual two, throwing up an entirely new dynamic to proceedings.

Sabalenka, the women's World No. 1, initially got the break to go 2-1 up, but was quickly caught up by the Aussie. The single-serve rules affected the Belarusian the most, as she served a handful of faults by the end of the first set. Kyrgios, to his credit, did not do anything that appeared like he did not take the challenge seriously, playing long rallies and trying his best to tire out the three-time Grand Slam champion.

On an exhausting night in Dubai, the first set finally went to Kyrgios, with a double break of serve securing a 6-3 win for the unranked ATP star.

The second set, however, saw Sabalenka consolidate a lead first, breaking to go 3-1 up as Nick Kyrgios appeared very tired as the points went on. The Aussie once again leveled things up, making it 3-3 and drawing a big round of cheers from the crowd at the Coca Cola Arena.

In unexpected fashion, the former World No.13 broke serve again, earning a 5-3 lead and moving closer to winning the clash. On his next serve, he closed out the set 6-3 to take the match.

Final scoreline: Nick Kyrgios def. Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3

Edited by Shyam Kamal