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‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis showdown to feature major rule changes

Tennis players Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, left, and Nick Kyrgios of Australia face off with the trophy ahead of the Battle of the Sexes exhibition match
Tennis players Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, left, and Nick Kyrgios of Australia face off with the trophy ahead of the Battle of the Sexes exhibition match (AP)
  • The 'Battle of the Sexes' tennis exhibition between women's No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios will feature modified rules.
  • Sabalenka will defend a court side nine per cent smaller than standard, and both players will be limited to one serve per point.
  • These changes are intended to neutralise Kyrgios's power advantage and account for average movement-speed differences between men and women.
  • The match, taking place in Dubai, will be played as best-of-three sets with a match tiebreak if required.
  • The match begins at 3.45pm Sunday GMT and will be shown live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK.
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