What you need to know about 'Battle of the Sexes' tennis match

Today's "Battle of the Sexes" exhibition match has divided opinion in the tennis world.

The event aims to emulate one of the most famous games in the sport's history, when Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs at the Houston Astrodome in 1973.

But while the players are looking forward to the challenge, critics have said the match risks undermining women's tennis and trivialises the progress made in women's sport.

Here's what you need to know:

Who's playing?

The women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka is taking on Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena at 3.45pm GMT.

Belarusian Sabalenka, 27, is a four-time grand slam winner and the reigning US Open champion.

Kyrgios, 30, although a former Wimbledon finalist, has not played an ATP Tour match since his second-round exit at the Miami Open in March and is currently ranked 652nd in the world after injury struggles.

Both players are signed to Evolve, the sports agency putting on the event.

What are the rules?

The three-set match will use modified rules that see each player restricted to just one serve per point, with a 10-point deciding tie-break if needed.

Sabalenka's side of the court will be 9% smaller to compensate for the difference in speed between men and women.

Has this happened before?

This will be the fourth "Battle of the Sexes" match in history, with the first taking place in May 1973 when Bobby Riggs took on Australian Open and French Open champion Margaret Court.

Court took home $20,000 for playing in the televised match, which Riggs won with straight sets 6-2 6-1, and was later dubbed the "Mother's Day Massacre".

Later that year, on 20 September 1973, Riggs played US Open champion Billie Jean King in what became the most iconic clash of its kind and has been described as a milestone moment in women's sport.

Ex-professional Riggs, then 55, who had been retired from the sport for 14 years, was adamant he could beat any women.

But a 29-year-old King won in straight sets, 6-4 6-3 6-3 in front of more than 30,000 fans at the Astrodome, and watched on television by an estimated 50 million people in the US and 90 million worldwide.

In 1992, 35-year-old Martina Navratilova was beaten 7-5 6-2 by 40-year-old Jimmy Connors at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in what was dubbed a "Battle of Champions".

Connors got only one serve while giving Navratilova a court expanded by half-a-doubles alley on each side during the pay-per-view event.

What have the players said?

Speaking about the possibility of the match at the US Open, Sabalenka laughed as she pledged to "kick Nick's ass" after he said he would not have to play at 100% to beat her.

She remained confident ahead of the clash, telling reporters when asked who is going to win: "Me.

"This event is really unpredictable. I don't know what to expect and that's what I love because this is the feeling that you chase when you play sport.

"I love to challenge myself and this is a huge challenge, especially playing against Nick, a guy who is unpredictable and crazy.

"It's great training for me and a great message to the girls out there - I hope they will see how strong and tough I am by playing against a guy."

Kyrgios said he knows his opponent "has got some serious weapons at her disposal" but is "prepared and ready".

"If you know me, you know how unpredictable I am, but I'm as well prepared as I possibly could be. I feel like I'm going to win," he said.

"I haven't won a grand slam but I've walked out in a grand slam final. This is something completely different, I don't know how my body or my mind will react.

"It's a completely different energy. I'm going to bring something different, for sure. My strength has always been my unpredictability, even on the men's tour.

"Guys like Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have struggled with not understanding how to play me at certain times because even I don't know what I'm going to do at certain times.

"I'm going to bring something she hasn't seen before. I'll play the style of tennis that I know is effective."

What have other people said?

Billie Jean King has said the match is far removed from the classic she played in, but its "good" that it's being talked about.

"It's very different. When I played Bobby Riggs in 1973, it was all about social justice, about culture. It was really about social change. This match is not that," she told Sky Sports.

"I played Bobby straight out, same court, three out of five sets, boom. He didn't think I would do that, but I did.

"Whereas this one, I think they've got different court structure. I don't know. I think it's probably going to be fun, but I certainly hope Sabalenka wins.

"It's not about social justice, it's about entertainment, I guess. I think it's okay [for the sport]. I'll have to think more about it, I guess. I hope they have fun.

"They'll make lots of money. Whatever. I come from a generation who made $14 a day before we had pro tennis, so I have an understanding then and now that a lot of younger people don't. They think it starts out with a lot.

"The fact that they can even get that kind of money to play is fantastic."

Former British number one Greg Rusedski called the event "a gimmick" but said it would be a success if it brings non-tennis fans to the sport.

"Billie Jean was fighting for something so important and she was really the catalyst for everything that's happened in the women's game to date," he said.

"I think there's been so many changes in women's sport. They're getting equal prize money, which is the right thing they should be doing at all the slams, so I don't see it as the same moment.

"It's not two serves, it's not the real tennis. I just don't know what it stands for."

Former British number one Laura Robson told Sky Sports Tennis: "I'm interested to hear what the appeal is for Aryna. I'm not sure this is what the game is missing."

(c) Sky News 2025: What you need to know about 'Battle of the Sexes' tennis match