Aryna Sabalenka said she\u2019s ready to \u201ckick ass\u201d when she faces volatile Australian star Nick Kyrgios in a \u201cBattle of the Sexes\u201d tennis showdown next year.<\/p>\n
World number one Sabalenka is set to face Kyrgios in a rare man-versus-woman contest, reportedly due to take place in Hong Kong in January before the Australian Open.<\/p>\n
Kyrgios threw down the gauntlet to Sabalenka earlier this week, saying in an interview he would easily dispatch the 27-year-old from Belarus.<\/p>\n
Speaking after her US Open semi-final victory on Thursday, Sabalenka said she was excited by the \u201ccool\u201d prospect of facing up against Kyrgios.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s gonna be spectacular to watch. It\u2019s going to be fun, especially against someone like Nick,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said in another interview, that I genuinely think that I\u2019m going to win. And I\u2019ll definitely go out there, and I\u2019ll try my best to kick his ass.\u201d Sabalenka said she was unaware of where the match was likely to be held. \u201cWe are not sure about the place,\u201d she said. \u201cBut definitely if we\u2019re going to bring it, we\u2019re going to bring it to somewhere where it\u2019s going to be a lot of people watching, and we\u2019re gonna put a lot of pressure on Nick.\u201d The 30-year-old Kyrgios, ranked 651 in the world after a series of injuries, has not played since losing in the second round at the Miami Open in March.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka by contrast is eyeing the fourth Grand Slam singles title of her career after advancing to Saturday\u2019s US Open final.<\/p>\n
The Sabalenka-Kyrgios showdown echoes the famous 1973 \u201cBattle of the Sexes\u201d exhibition match, when Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in a key moment as the push for women\u2019s rights gained ground.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka said she is determined to prove she has learned the \u201ctough lessons\u201d of a challenging season after battling past Jessica Pegula to reach the US Open final on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The world number one moved a step closer to retaining her US Open crown after recovering from a set down to defeat American fourth seed Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in an absorbing two-hour five-minute duel on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka will face Amanda Anisimova, who defeated Naomi Osaka in three sets. <\/p>\n
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