DUBAI HOSTS 'BATTLE OF THE SEXES' 3.0

Women's world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will take on Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios in a 'Battle of the Sexes' exhibition match in Dubai on Dec 28, organizers announced on Tuesday.

Sabalenka will face Kyrgios in a modern rendition of tennis icon Billie Jean King's 1973 showdown with fellow American Bobby Riggs, which turned out to be a watershed moment for both tennis and the women's movement.

Played in Houston's Astrodome, some 90 million tuned in worldwide to watch King storm to a straight sets victory that propelled the fight for equality in sports.

Aged 55 at the time, Riggs had beaten Australia's Margaret Court four months earlier, before King, aged 29, exacted revenge.

In 1992, eight-time Grand Slam champion Jimmy Connors, then aged 40, beat 18-time major winner Martina Navratilova, then 35, under modified rules.

"I have so much respect for Billie Jean King and what she has done for the women's game," four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka said in a statement.

"I'm proud to represent women's tennis and to be part of this modern take on the iconic Battle of the Sexes match."

Sabalenka and Kyrgios have teased the match on numerous occasions in the past few months, with the contest initially slated to be hosted in Hong Kong.

World No 652 Kyrgios, who has played just five matches this year since returning from a serious wrist injury that kept him out for 18 months, said in September that he could easily beat Sabalenka.

When asked about the Australian's comments during her run to the US Open title, the Belarusian said she was eager to prove Kyrgios wrong.

"I have a lot of respect for Nick and his talent, but make no mistake, I'm ready to bring my A-game," Sabalenka said.

Kyrgios reached a career-high singles ranking of 13 in 2016 and also made it to the final of Wimbledon in 2022.

The 30-year-old is a major draw on and off the court at Grand Slams for his natural talent and unapologetic personality, the latter of which has sometimes proved controversial, landing him in hot water.

The match will take place at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

Gauff sweeps Paolini

Not far away, in Riyadh, Coco Gauff claimed a much-needed 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jasmine Paolini to keep her WTA Finals title defense alive on Tuesday, while top-seeded Sabalenka battled past Jessica Pegula 6-4,2-6, 6-3.

Gauff, the American third seed, had lost her opener two days earlier to Pegula, but was far more clinical against Paolini, whose second singles defeat of the week means she has no chance of advancing to the semifinals.

The Italian is still in contention in doubles, though, alongside her partner Sara Errani.

"I'm really happy with how I played today, definitely a turnaround from my first match," said Gauff, who posted her 10th top-10 win of the season.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, recovered from an early break in the deciding set to avenge her recent loss to Pegula in the Wuhan semifinals and strengthen her chances of qualifying for the final four.

The Belarusian could only convert four of the 16 break points she created, as Pegula fought until the bitter end.

A total of 10 of Pegula's last 11 matches have gone to three sets. This was just her second three-set loss within that stretch.

"She's an incredible player, she always pushes me to that limit," said Sabalenka of her fifth-seeded opponent.

"In the third set, I just told myself to go for it. She pushed me and I love it. I love playing against her because they're always great matches, a great level, great points. I was really enjoying that she was pushing me to the next level."

All to play for

It will be all to play for in the SteffiGraf Group on Thursday, with Sabalenka, Gauff and Pegula all still in contention for semifinal tickets.

In her opener against Pegula on Sunday, Gauff struggled with her serve, committing 17 double faults and winning just 28 percent of the points behind her second delivery.

Her performance in the first set of her second match was already a significant improvement, as she won nine of 11 points on her second serve, misfiring just twice for two double faults.

The 21-year-old leaped to a 3-0 lead and, despite Paolini's attempted comeback, was able to reclaim her advantage to take the opening set in 40 minutes.

The second set was a straightforward affair, as Gauff notched two breaks of serve en route to her second win in five meetings with the Italian this season.

"I think only three doubles today compared to 17 — that's a big difference," said the two-time grand slam champion.

"I think it just shows that I have the ability to serve like this, and it definitely gives me confidence."

Gauff hired biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan in late August, right before the US Open, to help fix technical issues with her serve.

She said her approach after her opening defeat was to go "back to the basics and try not to overcomplicate things".

"I think I was on the trajectory in China, serving great. I think I was, maybe, trying to serve a little bit too hard in that match against Jess," Gauff said.

"So, today, I just tried to slow it down and start with that approach first, and, obviously, if I had to go bigger, I had the ability to do that."

Agencies