Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios come out fighting after staging controversial ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match

Kyrgios, the former Wimbledon finalist, overcame world No 1 Sabalenka 6-3 6-3 before a capacity crowd at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday evening.

The Australian emerged victorious despite organisers introducing various rule modifications intended to create a more balanced contest between the male and female competitors.

And the atmosphere proved somewhat more restrained than many had anticipated.

The exhibition drew sharp criticism from prominent figures in women’s tennis ahead of Sunday’s contest.

Billie Jean King, who defeated 55-year-old former Grand Slam champion Bobby Riggs in the landmark 1973 original, suggested the Dubai encounter lacked the significance of her historic victory.

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That match saw the women’s tennis pioneer triumph in what became a watershed moment for the sport.

Former doubles world No 1 Rennae Stubbs was among those who dismissed the event as little more than a publicity stunt and an exercise in making money.

Critics had voiced concerns since the match was first announced that it risked diminishing the legacy of King’s groundbreaking achievement more than five decades ago.

Sabalenka defended the exhibition robustly when speaking to journalists after the match.

“I honestly don’t understand how people were able to find something negative in this event,” she said.

\The Belarusian argued her performance demonstrated quality tennis to viewers worldwide, noting the competitive nature of the scoreline.

“It was an entertaining match it wasn’t like 6-0 6-0. It was a great fight, it was interesting to watch and it brought more eyes on tennis,” she explained.

The world No 1 maintained the underlying purpose was to expand the sport’s appeal and present it in a fresh light.

“The idea behind it is to help our sport grow and show tennis from a different side, that tennis events can be fun and we can make it almost as big as Grand Slam matches,” Sabalenka added.

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Kyrgios pointed to his impressive track record against the sport’s elite when defending the exhibition’s credibility.

“Let me just remind you that I’m one of 16 people that have ever beaten the ‘Big Four’ Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal have all lost to me,” he said.

The Australian, whose ranking has plummeted to 671 following a series of injuries, praised Sabalenka’s competitive showing against him.

“She just proved she can go out there and compete against someone that’s beaten the greatest of all time. There’s nothing but positive that can be taken away from this.”