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MATCH PREVIEW: ANALYZING ARYNA SABALENKA VS. NICK KYRGIOS TACTICAL RULE SHIFTS AND COURT DIMENSIONS

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces Nick Kyrgios in Dubai’s "Battle of the Sexes." Learn the modified rules and match start times.

Match Preview: Analyzing Aryna Sabalenka vs. Nick Kyrgios Tactical Rule Shifts and Court Dimensions
No. 1 Sabalenka is Favoured in Dubai’s "Battle" Revival.

When Aryna Sabalenka plays Nick Kyrgios in Sunday’s ‘Battle of the Sexes’ show match, she'll have her rich boyfriend cheering her on. Since last year, Georgios Frangulis, a Brazilian businessman, has been there for her. He goes all over the world to watch her play and has even been seen helping her practice.

They started dating around April 2024, not long after the sad passing of Sabalenka’s ex, Konstantin Koltsov. He was an ice hockey player who died in March of that year. Sabalenka told PEOPLE that Frangulis' support meant a lot to her during that tough time. “It was a hard time, and I was so glad he was there for me, cheering me up and making sure we had some fun,” she said.

They met when Sabalenka became a spokesperson for Oakberry, an acai bowl company started by Frangulis. His company has done really well, and he’s made even more money than Sabalenka has from tennis.

He’s reportedly worth about £55m ($75m), while Sabalenka has earned about £33m ($45m) in prize money. That puts her in second place for all-time earnings in women’s tennis, behind Serena Williams.

They don’t mind the age difference either. Frangulis is nine years older than Sabalenka.

He'll probably be there in Dubai on Sunday when Sabalenka plays Kyrgios in what they are calling a modern version of the Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs match.

Kyrgios, who used to be a Wimbledon finalist, is now ranked No. 1286 because of injuries. But he’s excited to play against Sabalenka, who has been the best player on the women's tour for the last couple of years. The match will be best of three sets, with a tie-break if needed. But they’re playing on a court that’s been changed a bit.

Evolve says that women move around the court more slowly than men, so Sabalenka’s side of the court will be smaller. Each player will also only get one serve per point to try and even things out, since Kyrgios has a really good serve.

THE EIGHT-YEAR GAP: SVITOLINA REACHES FIRST WTA 1000 FINAL SINCE 2018 IN DUBAI

Svitolina stuns Gauff! Discover how she reached the Dubai final to face Pegula, plus Alcaraz's 11-0 streak and Venus' return.

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Ukrainian star reaches Dubai final after 3-hour marathon epic

Elina Svitolina stunned world number four Coco Gauff to earn a spot in the Dubai Tennis Championships final, where she’ll face Jessica Pegula.

Pegula got there first, clawing her way back after a rough start against Amanda Anisimova. She dropped the first set badly and even lost her serve early in the second, but still pulled off a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.

Gauff, just 21, almost set up an all-American final, but Svitolina refused to fold. The match? Epic. Svitolina took it 6-4, 6-7 (13-15), 6-4 after more than three hours on court. She let four match points slip in a wild second-set tiebreak, but didn’t let that break her. She powered through the decider, and now she’s back in the Dubai final for the first time since she won the title back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.

“I was playing like there’s no tomorrow, just giving it everything,” Svitolina said afterwards.

Over in the men’s Qatar Open, world number one Carlos Alcaraz kept his perfect 2026 record alive. He beat Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 to reach the final. Alcaraz, just 22, already grabbed the Australian Open this season and became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. He’s won all 11 matches he’s played this year.

“I know what I can do every time I step on the court,” Alcaraz said.

He’ll face Arthur Fils from France in the final. Fils beat Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, who’d knocked out world number two Jannik Sinner earlier in the week, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

And in some more big news, Venus Williams is heading back to Indian Wells. The seven-time Grand Slam champ, now 45, got a wildcard for both singles and doubles.

“It’s great to be heading back to Indian Wells and returning home to California,” Williams said in a statement.

9-0 STREAK: ANALYZING CARLOS ALCARAZ’S PERFECT START TO THE 2026 TENNIS SEASON

Alcaraz hits 9-0: Discover why Valentin Royer warned Alcaraz and Sinner after their 2026 clash and the latest ATP rankings.

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Carlos Alcaraz extends his unbeaten 2026 run to nine matches

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner just got a playful warning from their ATP rival, Valentin Royer.

Alcaraz, with seven Grand Slam titles, and Sinner, who has four, have completely owned men’s tennis for the last couple of years. They’ve split the last nine majors; each grabbed four ATP Masters 1000 trophies; and keep swapping the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings.

No one else has really kept up. Novak Djokovic is still hanging around, but the rest of the guys, like Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Ben Shelton, are all chasing from behind.

Alcaraz is rolling right now. He’s unbeaten in 2026 so far, standing at 9-0. After winning his first Australian Open title, he followed up with wins over Arthur Rinderknech and Royer.

After Alcaraz beat Royer 6-2, 7-5, the two shared a light moment at the net. Royer, currently world No. 60, told Alcaraz, “I’ll come for you and Jannik, don’t worry. Some day.” Alcaraz laughed and said, “I will wait for you, man.”

Royer actually had a shot in the second set. He broke Alcaraz’s serve early and was up 5-3, serving for the set, but Alcaraz broke back, held serve, and broke again to close out the match.

Asked if he was nervous, Alcaraz admitted, “Honestly, I had to be ready for anything. There were moments when I thought about a third set; I’m not going to lie. But that was just a small part of my mind. Mostly, I was focused on finding solutions, figuring out how to get back on track.

“I’m really happy I found my rhythm again and played good tennis. Sometimes it just comes down to one point. Closing out a set or a match isn’t always easy. I just had to stay in it, and I’m glad I turned it around and got the win in straight sets.”

Next, he faces seventh seed Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals. If he gets through, he’ll meet either Andrey Rublev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semis. Sinner is the likely opponent waiting in the final.

“Everybody expects us to play every final, every tournament, but that’s not easy. There are a lot of players out here who want to beat us,” Alcaraz said about a possible final against Sinner.

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