'I'm going to win' - Aryna Sabalenka makes bold claim ahead of Battle of the Sexes duel against Nick Kyrgios

Sabalenka and Kyrgios to relive another edition of a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ five decades after the original clash.

A confident Aryna Sabalenka has backed herself to win in yet another ‘Battle of the Sexes’ face-off, five decades after the original between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973.

World No. 1 Sabalanka is scheduled to take on controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios in the latest rendition of the Battle of the Sexes. Kyrgios, ranked World No. 668 in the ATP Rankings, will take on Sabalenka in Dubai on December 28.

The exhibition will be played out across three sets, with a 10-point deciding tie-break to determine the outcome if needed.

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The King – Riggs exhibition match, which King won, had a big cultural impact against the backdrop of a demand for equal pay by Billie Jean King and other players on the WTA Tour.

Martina Navratilova vs. Jimmy Connors (1992) and the Williams sisters vs. Karsten Braasch (1998) are other instances of similar exhibition matches. Connors got the better of Navratilova, and Braasch had no trouble taking on the Williams sisters.

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The battle lines have been drawn with Sabalenka proclaiming, “I know I’m going to win that one!” The World No. 1 made the assertion soon after getting the better of Naomi Osaka in an exhibition match at Atlanta, dubbed the Atlanta Cup.

The exhibition event also features Kyrgios, who is playing his first match since the Miami Open in March, and the Atlanta-born Ben Shelton. Kyrgios turned to his usual bag of tricks, even a tweener serve, but still lost to Ben Shelton in straight sets.

The 30-year-old Australian is scheduled to play at the Kooyong Classic and in Brisbane in the run-up to the Australian Open. He is also slated to take part in the One Point Slam at the 2026 Australian Open, where amateurs will compete against pros for a $1 million prize.

The duo will next travel to New York for the Garden Cup exhibition at Madison Square Garden. Kyrgios will take on New Jersey native Tommy Paul in the men’s event, while Sabalenka will once again find herself up against Osaka.

Sabalenka and Kyrgios promise to bring their A-game at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai in yet another revival of the most famous face-off in the sport.

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