Nick Kyrgios came away with a win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the 2025 Battle of the Sexes. But for a name so deeply tied to tennis history, criticism and controversy felt inevitable. While that debate followed the event from the day it was announced, Sabalenka made it clear afterward that she has no regrets about stepping onto the court.

“I honestly don’t understand how people were able to find something negative in this event,” the Belarusian said, as reported by BBC. “I think for the WTA, I just showed that I was playing great tennis; it was an entertaining match, it wasn’t like 6-0, 6-0. It was a great fight. It was interesting to watch, and it brought more eyes to tennis.

“The idea behind it is to help our sport grow and show tennis from a different side, that tennis events can be fun and we can make it almost as big as Grand Slam matches,” she added.

The criticism, however, kept coming from all sides. Billie Jean King herself wasn’t too pleased. When asked if she saw any similarities between the matches, the WTA founder told BBC Sport:

“The only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That’s it. Everything else, no. Ours was about social change; culturally, where we were in 1973. This one is not. I hope it’s a great match – I want Sabalenka, obviously, to win – but it’s just not the same.”

While Sabalenka didn’t walk away with the win, she gave it everything she had. The world No. 1 delivered blistering winners and flashes of her trademark fire, keeping the crowd on edge with every rally.

There were also lighthearted moments that showed Sabalenka’s playful side. At one point in the second set, she hilariously called a timeout midway through the fifth game to do the Macarena as the dance track blared through the PA system. It was pure entertainment. She even acknowledged her game against Nick.

“I felt great. I think I put up a great fight. He was struggling, he got really tired,” she said afterwards. “I think it was a great level, I made a lot of great shots, moved a lot to the net, drop shots. I really enjoyed the show.”

And it wasn’t just the 27-year-old. Even Kyrgios was left impressed with the outcome of the event! Even though he won the match, the Aussie had to tip his hat to the World No.1.

Nick Kyrgios reveals his thoughts about Aryna Sabalenka after the match

At Dubai’s buzzing Coca-Cola Arena, Kyrgios stole the spotlight in a match that was anything but ordinary. Playing under experimental rules on a court 9% smaller on Sabalenka’s side, the Aussie handled the setup with his trademark flair. With only one serve allowed per point, both players struggled to find consistency on delivery, but Nick Kyrgios snagged a crucial break for 4-3 and wrapped up the first set with authority.

The second set, though, flipped the energy completely. The ATP star, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily after falling behind 1-3, fought hard to stay in the contest. The match reached a fever pitch when Aryna Sabalenka sent a shot long, allowing Kyrgios to wrap up the match with a 6-3, 6-3 win. Despite walking away as the victor, he had nothing but admiration for his opponent.

“The first set was high level,” he said post-match. “I don’t think I had anything tactically that I was really focusing on, but I knew that the match was going to get physical. Obviously, losing the first serve makes it so you have to run and you have to tough out long points.”

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It’s not a surprise, though. Aryna Sabalenka is the WTA No. 1 (two years in a row) and a four-time Grand Slam champion. Known for her fearless aggression and thunderous shots, she has dominated the past two years, racking up 21 tour titles and a career record of 479 wins to 200 losses. Kyrgios felt every bit of that strength during their duel.

“Her weapon is her first serve,” Nick Kyrgios admitted. “I have one of the best serves in the world, but you have to pull it back and rely on your physicality to run back and forth.”

Critics may still debate the event’s merit, but the night ended exactly as Kyrgios predicted: the most talked about. And now, with the 2026 season just beginning, the big question is: will Aryna Sabalenka storm into the new year ready to add another chapter to her remarkable run of success?