Nick Kyrgios thrashed Aryna Sabalenka in their Battle of the Sexes match in Dubai. The two players went head-to-head at the Coca Cola Arena in front of a crowd that included former Brazil footballers Ronaldo and Kaka, with the Australian securing a 6-3, 6-3 victory.

Kyrgios and Sabalenka agreed to their match earlier this year, with the showdown proving controversial for a number of reasons. Both players were allowed only a first serve, with Sabalenka’s side of the court made nine per cent smaller to make it more difficult for her opponent. And the match was played as a best-of-three encounter, with BBC One screening it live from start to finish, although their coverage was interrupted by technical difficulties.

Sabalenka held her first service game but looked vulnerable early on against the 2022 Wimbledon finalist, who unleashed a series of powerful shots when presented with the opportunity.

With a smaller area to aim for, Kyrgios’ shots were more controlled than they may have been, with the star forced to take a bit of power off his strokes at some points. And Kyrgios managed to break the Belarusian in her second service game as he gained the upper hand early on.

Sabalenka forced two break points in the very next game as she attempted to keep pace with the 30-year-old. And she took her second chance to draw level at 2-2.

The two stars appeared to be struggling on their own serves due to the rule changes, with Sabalenka refusing to take too much pace off her deliveries down the court. She was made to pay as she suffered a second service break in her next game, but fought back to level the score at 3-3 soon afterwards.

Sabalenka then ceded a 40-15 lead in her fourth service game as the world No. 1 was broken for a third time. And Kyrgios finally made his opponent pay as he held in the next game to move to within one game of winning the opening set. The Aussie star then cruised through Sabalenka’s final service game of the first set to clinch the opener 6-3.

Kyrgios would have taken huge confidence from his performance in the first set. But he allowed his standards to drop in the early stages of the second as he made a number of errors. And Sabalenka capitalised as she overturned a 1-0 deficit to take a 3-1 lead in the second set.

Kyrgios, who played a number of underarm serves throughout the contest, was then spotted complaining to the umpire after believing his final shot in the fourth game had been incorrectly called out.

Sabalenka took advantage of a 60-second timeout in the second set to dance in front of the cameras as the crowd were entertained by the players on the court in more way than one.

And fans in the stadium were then given the opportunity to catch tennis balls which were thrown into the crowd during the next changeover.

Kyrgios moved up through the gears after being given a scare by Sabalenka as he won four games on the bounce to move 5-3 ahead in the second set. And the ATP Tour star turned on the style to win a fifth consecutive game as he secured victory.