Overview
- The exhibition is scheduled for December 28 at Dubai’s Coca‑Cola Arena, with BBC One and iPlayer carrying live coverage from 3:45pm GMT.
- Both players will have only one serve per point, Sabalenka will defend a side reduced by nine percent, and the match will be best of three with a 10-point match tiebreak if needed.
- Event organisers say the court reduction reflects average movement‑speed differences between men and women, and Kyrgios pushed for the single‑serve rule after Sabalenka was initially set to have two.
- Billie Jean King rejects comparisons to her 1973 match, while Rennae Stubbs labels the event a money grab and Greg Rusedski and Casper Ruud question the gimmicky format.
- Commentators warn of reputational risks to the women’s game as Sabalenka promotes the showcase and Kyrgios talks up an easy win despite a limited 2025 season and a No. 671 ranking.