WTA Tour star Eva Lys believes the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ showdown between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios could make tennis more “popular”, despite also calling the event a “huge PR stunt”.
Reigning WTA world No 1 Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, will take on Kyrgios in a high-profile and highly publicised showdown on December 28 in Dubai, with the match already proving to be a huge talking point.
The two have engaged in a set of high-profile interviews to promote the match, including with Piers Morgan Uncensored and BBC Sport.
Several past and present players have questioned the event, including the likes of Billie Jean King — who famously played Bobby Riggs in a 1973 ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match — and former WTA world No 1 Garbine Muguruza, with Sabalenka and Kyrgios defending their participation.
A handful of current players have also been asked about the match between Sabalenka and Kyrgios, with Lys recently asked about her thoughts in a new interview with Sport1.
Currently the top-ranked German on the WTA Tour, a career-best year saw the 23-year-old finish the 2025 season ranked 40th in the world, and be nominated for the WTA Newcomer of the Year Award.
Asked whether the clash between Sabalenka and Kyrgios could hurt women’s tennis, Lys claimed that she could not assess whether the exhibition was “great” for the sport or not until it had taken place.
She said (translated from German): “I have mixed feelings about it, but generally speaking, I think Aryna Sabalenka is very good for women’s tennis. She pushes the boundaries and has moments that are unusual in the sport.
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“It’s no secret that it’s a huge PR stunt to draw more attention to tennis. Who else could you pull something like that off with? Nick Kyrgios, of course. I think they’re a perfect match.
“You have to take it with a grain of salt. Tennis is still a sport that’s taken a bit too seriously. You get matches like this in all the other sports that aren’t taken so seriously.
“We’ll have to wait and see what the reactions will be. I can’t say whether it will be great for the sport or controversial — but it’s a start to making the sport more popular in some way.”
The encounter between Sabalenka and Kyrgios will take place inside Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena and will have high-profile coverage online and on television, with the showdown set to be shown live on BBC Television in Great Britain.
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