Nick Kyrgios beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match billed as a modern take on Billie Jean King’s famous win over Bobby Riggs over 50 years ago, but one that ignited controversy over its relevance and meaning.
The clash between four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka and former world No. 13 Kyrgios was billed as entertainment but critics warned that it risked reducing women’s tennis to a sideshow and trivializing its progress toward equality.
The ?match that gave the event its name was the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” when women’s tennis pioneer King beat 55-year-old former Grand ?Slam winner ?Riggs, who had said that the standard of women’s tennis could never match that of the men’s game.
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