Aryna Sabalenka 'to kick Nick Kyrgios' a**' as she fires back at Aussie
Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios will go head-to-head in a ‘Battle of the Sexes' match.
Aryna Sabalenka has vowed to “kick Nick Kyrgios’ a**” when the duo go head-to-head in a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ clash. The showdown was announced in July, although a date for the match is yet to be confirmed. But there are suggestions the two players could face each other in Hong Kong at the start of next year.
Sabalenka is currently enjoying a fine run at the US Open and has reached the final of the event following a victory over Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals. The 27-year-old is due to take on Amanda Anisimova in the showpiece match at Flushing Meadows on Saturday. Kyrgios, meanwhile, has appeared at just one Grand Slam since 2022 after being forced to contend with a string of injury issues. He was dumped out of the Australian Open in the first round in January and didn’t feature at the French Open, Wimbledon or the US Open.
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Ahead of her match up with Anisimova, Sabalenka was asked about the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match.
And she explained: “Well I think it’s a cool idea, you know. It’s going to be spectacular to watch, it’s going to be fun, especially against someone like Nick.
“Like he said in another interview, that I genuinely think I’m going to win. And I’ll definitely go out there and try my best to kick his a**.
“It’s going to be a good thing if I beat him. For now we are not sure about the place but if we’re going to bring it, we’re going to bring it to somewhere where there’s going to be a lot of people watching and we’re going to put a lot of pressure on Nick.”
The rules will be altered slightly for the blockbuster showdown, with Kyrgios only allowed one serve instead of two. The Australian will also have to serve into a smaller service box.
But Kyrgios was confident that he would ease to victory when he discussed the match with fellow professional Alexander Bublik on First & Red’s Tea with Bublik podcast.
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“Sabalenka is awesome, she's such a character,” Kyrgios admitted. “I think she's the type of player who genuinely believes she's going to win.
“She’s not going to beat me. Do you think I have to try 100 per cent?”
After being asked if he would try, the Aussie ace exclaimed: “Definitely, because I’m representing the men’s side.” And he added: “I’m going to try, I don’t want her to win. I’d say like 6-2, maybe.”