Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka are close to agreeing a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis clash in Hong Kong, talkSPORT can reveal.
The pair have discussed meeting on court at an Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) event later this year.
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The world number one has discussed the potential ‘Battle of the Sexes’ with Kyrgios
Sabalenka is a three-time Grand Slam champion and the current women’s world number one.
The Belarussian has reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, where she will face Laura Siegemund on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios is already looking ahead to a potential match between the pair.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the Australian explained: “Sabalenka and I are thinking about doing a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ later in the year where the court is going to be slightly smaller for me, with one serve.
“UTS is an event that I believe is the modern day tennis, how tennis should be.
“So we’re going to do it on a smaller court, a slightly smaller court I’m playing in, slightly smaller than the usual tennis court.”
UTS events follow a similar set of rules to standard ATP and WTA events with changes made to speed up the pace of play.
Rather than playing sets, opponents contest four eight-minute quarters with the winner the first to three quarters.
The individual tennis league was launched in 2020, with its next event scheduled for October in Hong Kong.
A grand final event is then set to be played in London two months later.
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Sabalenka is a three-time Grand Slam champion and into the Wimbledon quarter-finalsCredit: Getty
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Kyrgios admitted he is nervous to face Sabalenka but has backed himself to winCredit: Getty
Kyrgios added: “We get one serve and we’re thinking about doing it later in the year in Hong Kong.
“This is going to be something that I’m really nervous for to be honest because she’s in her absolute prime right now and she’s getting the wooden legs of me. But I’m still feeling confident that I’ll get her.”
Despite his concerns over Sabalenka’s form, he still believes he can win.
Asked about his own skills, the 30-year-old admitted: “The drop shot is my friend.
“I think I’ve still got enough variation in it and enough talent in the tank to take Sabalenka. But she’s fierce and I’m feeling nerves right now.”
The former world number 13 reached the 2022 Wimbledon final but has endured injury heartache in the three years since.
Ultimate Tennis Showdown rules
- Four eight-minute quarters
- First to three quarters wins
- Quarters won based on score at the end of the eight minutes
- Player leading must win one more point
- Losing player has to take lead before opponent wins another point
- Sudden death played if match tied at 2-2
- First player to win two consecutive points in sudden death wins
- No warm-ups
- Players take turns serving two points each
- One serve allowed per point
- No lets
- Players can use ‘bonus card’ to make next point count for three
Nick Kyrgios says Carlos Alcaraz knows he’s right deep down after ‘girls and parties’ retort
A string of ankle and wrist injuries have kept Kyrgios out of action for prolonged periods.
Those woes forced him out of this year’s tournament, meaning he has played at just two Grand Slam events since his Wimbledon final appearance.
However, the outspoken Aussie has been keeping talkSPORT listeners entertained with his expert analysis on the tournament.
As for Sabalenka, who was beaten in last month’s French Open final, she is now aiming to reach a third semi-final at SW19.
A win over Siegemund on Tuesday will set up a last four clash with either Amanda Anisimova or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
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