ARYNA SABALENKA VS KYRGIOS: WTA NO. 1 DEFENDS "BATTLE OF THE SEXES" EXHIBITION MATCH
Aryna Sabalenka hit back at critics, defending her upcoming exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios, stating the unique "Battle of the Sexes" event will grow women's tennis.
Aryna Sabalenka isn't buying the idea that her upcoming exhibition match with Nick Kyrgios will hurt women’s tennis.
The two are set to play on December 28th in Dubai, a match that's stirred up plenty of talk online.
This match is meant to recall the famous 1973 King-Riggs face-off, which drew a huge TV audience and was later called the Battle of the Sexes.
King's win over Riggs was a big step forward for women's tennis.
Since the match was announced, some have said it could take attention away from women's tennis. Sabalenka disagrees.
“I don’t think so,” the WTA world No. 1 told BBC Sport. I'm not risking anything. We're there to have a good time and play some great tennis. Whoever wins, wins.
“It's obvious men are generally stronger, but that's not the point. This event will only help raise the profile of women’s tennis.”
Sabalenka wrapped up 2025 with a US Open title and finished as runner-up at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
She ended the year as No. 1, way ahead of Iga Swiatek.
Kyrgios is currently ranked No. 672, having played only five matches this year because of a wrist injury.
To level the playing field a bit, Sabalenka's side of the court will be smaller.
Also, both players only get one serve per point in the best-of-three match, with a tiebreak deciding the final set if needed.
“It won’t be easy for Nick,” Sabalenka added. “I’ll be competing hard and showing that women are strong, powerful, and entertaining. He’s in a tough spot. I'm in a good one.”
Kyrgios hasn’t played a pro singles match since Miami and is still dealing with a wrist issue.
He had wrist surgery in September 2023.
He recently played in the Garden Cup exhibition against Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, losing both matches.
“Tennis doesn’t have this kind of buzz often, so when it does, it’s special,” said Kyrgios.
“We are helping tennis grow,” Sabalenka said, responding to critics. It’s fun, it’s a challenge, and I think that’s what people want to see.”
EMMA RADUCANU DROPS TO NO. 29 AS VIRAL ILLNESS DELAYS COMPETITIVE TENNIS RETURN
Emma Raducanu falls to World No. 29. Discover her Madrid Open comeback plans and the viral illness that halted her WTA season.
Emma Raducanu has slipped further down the WTA rankings as she focuses on regaining her full fitness. At 23, she has faced several interruptions since her breakthrough win at the US Open in 2021.
While Raducanu stands out as a major title winner, having claimed her US Open victory after navigating the qualifiers, she reached her highest ranking at No. 10 less than a year later. Since then, she hasn’t added another singles title to her name, working instead on finding steadiness in her game. She’s aiming to kick off her clay-court season at the Madrid Open later this month. Yet, her ranking has dipped ahead of that event, partly because she withdrew from both the Miami Open and the Linz Open.
Currently listed at No. 29, down one spot from 28, Raducanu hasn’t gained ranking points recently due to recovering from a viral illness. Her last appearance was at Indian Wells in March, where she exited in the third round against Amanda Anisimova.
Her decision to miss Miami and Linz came after falling ill. Reports from BBC Sport noted that she started feeling unwell in February but kept competing until she pulled out of the Austrian tournament.
As Raducanu prepares for a potential comeback at Madrid, which kicks off on April 21, Romania’s Sorana Cirstea has moved ahead in the rankings. At 36, Cirstea climbed three places to 26th after reaching the quarter-finals in Linz.
Interestingly, Raducanu and Cirstea met earlier this year at the Transylvania Open final in Cirstea’s home country. Cirstea won decisively, 6-0, 6-2, though Raducanu admitted she wasn’t at her best even before the match started.
“In Cluj, I picked up a virus at the start of the tournament,” Raducanu shared with the Guardian in February. “I was dealing with that and its after-effects... which lasted for three weeks. I’ve been trying to shake it off. The Middle East trip was really tough for me.”
It seems Raducanu is keen to recover fully before stepping back onto the court. Looking back, Aryna Sabalenka took the 2023 Madrid Open title with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Coco Gauff in the final.
JANNIK SINNER TAKES WORLD NO. 1; ALCARAZ CAN RECLAIM LEAD IN BARCELONA
Jannik Sinner is World No. 1! Discover how Carlos Alcaraz can reclaim the top spot at the Barcelona Open this week.
Jannik Sinner’s win over Carlos Alcaraz at the Monte-Carlo Masters wasn't just a big match; it sent Sinner straight back to the world number one ranking. Now, the Italian leads Alcaraz by 440 points after his Monte-Carlo victory.
But the clay season is packed, and with so many tournaments coming up, there’s still plenty of room for the rankings to shift before Roland Garros rolls around.
Alcaraz doesn’t have to wait long for his shot to reclaim the top spot. His next chance comes right away at the Barcelona Open, his home tournament. Last year, Alcaraz made the final in Barcelona, and now he’s set to chase down Sinner again.
Honestly, their Monte-Carlo match didn’t quite live up to the hype. Blame the wind. It was a pretty scrappy three out of ten match, if we’re being honest. Not exactly the fireworks everyone expected.
Still, Sinner and Alcaraz will be only 160 points apart at the start of the Barcelona Open, really close. If Alcaraz wins in Barcelona, he actually jumps above Sinner in the rankings, but just barely. He’d have 13,410 points, Sinner would have 13,400. It’s that tight.
Plus, if the rumours are true and Sinner skips the Madrid Open, Alcaraz could hang onto the top spot pretty easily.
Even with the recent slip in the rankings, Alcaraz shouldn’t be discouraged. He knew Sinner had been playing out of his mind lately and probably expected the rankings to flip. Sinner outplayed him in Monte-Carlo and fully deserved that win.
But there’s a lot of tennis left this spring. Alcaraz is strong on clay and has more chances, especially in Madrid, to rack up points. Neither player competed in Madrid last year, so both have a great shot to stretch their leads.
With Alcaraz picking up extra points in Barcelona, Sinner might not stay number one for long. Expect this battle at the top to keep flipping back and forth; it’s far from over.
