Kyrgios predicts easy win over Sabalenka in 'Battle of the Sexes' / Photo: CLIVE BRUNSKILL - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
NYSE - LSE
| RYCEF | 0.83% | 15.58 | $ | |
| VOD | -0.15% | 13.21 | $ | |
| GSK | -0.57% | 49.02 | $ | |
| RBGPF | 0.42% | 81.05 | $ | |
| RIO | -0.56% | 80.07 | $ | |
| CMSC | 0.03% | 22.69 | $ | |
| NGG | -0.55% | 77.341 | $ | |
| BTI | 0.11% | 56.61 | $ | |
| SCS | 0.12% | 16.14 | $ | |
| CMSD | -0.13% | 23.1 | $ | |
| BP | -0.39% | 34.615 | $ | |
| AZN | -0.4% | 92.14 | $ | |
| BCE | 0.88% | 23.78 | $ | |
| RELX | -0.76% | 40.8 | $ | |
| BCC | 0.35% | 74.05 | $ | |
| JRI | 0.37% | 13.63 | $ |
Kyrgios predicts easy win over Sabalenka in 'Battle of the Sexes'
Mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios claims he will easily beat women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a "Battle of the Sexes" showdown that could be played next year.
Australian and British media said the rare man-versus-woman contest was pencilled in, but not yet confirmed, for Hong Kong in January in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
Kyrgios said he was "super-excited" about the prospect, adding: "She's not going to beat me, do you really think I have to try 100 percent?
"Getting to know her, she's definitely a character," the 2022 Wimbledon finalist added in a YouTube interview with fellow ATP Tour player Alexander Bublik.
"I think she's the type of player who genuinely thinks she's going to win."
The 30-year-old Kyrgios, ranked 651 in the world after a series of injuries, has not played since losing in the second round at the Miami Open in March.
In contrast, Belarusian Sabalenka is a three-time Grand Slam champion and the world's top-ranked woman.
Asked by Bublik how he would beat her, Kyrgios said: "Our serves, women can't return them and then we can just chip and drop shot."
Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a "Battle of the Sexes" exhibition in 1973, a key moment as the push for women's rights gained ground.
Z.Hatem--CdE
