Billie Jean King Defeats Bobby Riggs in 1973 Battle

Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs on September 20, 1973, to win the 'Battle of the Sexes' tennis match. The final score was 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in front of 30,000 people at the Houston Astrodome, with millions more watching on television.

This victory ended a public crusade by the 55-year-old Riggs against women's tennis. His campaign had peaked months earlier with a decisive win over Margaret Court, an event dubbed the 'Mother's Day Massacre.'

The Stakes for Women's Tennis

Billie Jean King was not only the world's top-ranked female player in 1973. She was a pioneer who had founded the Women's Tennis Association and was a leading advocate for equal prize money. Bobby Riggs, a former world number one and self-described 'male pig chauvinist,' had challenged King to prove men's superiority. He claimed, 'If she can't beat a tired old man, she doesn't deserve half her dough.'

King initially declined the high-risk challenge. Margaret Court accepted instead and lost badly. After that defeat, King felt she had no choice but to play. 'I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match,' King later stated. 'It would ruin the women's tour and affect all women's self-esteem.'

The Match and The Hype

The event became the biggest tennis spectacle ever held in the United States at that time. The American Broadcasting Company paid $700,000 for the television rights to the $100,000 winner-take-all match. The players made theatrical entrances, with King arriving in a Cleopatra-style gown and Riggs in a gold-wheeled rickshaw.

Riggs had spent more time promoting the match than training. King, however, prepared careful. 'I'm taking this match very seriously,' she said beforehand. 'I love to win. I welcome the responsibility and the pressure. Bobby had better be ready.'

A One-Sided Contest

Riggs started strong, breaking King's serve to lead 3-2 in the first set. Unlike Court, King was ready for his unpredictable 'junk shots.' She engaged him in long baseline rallies to exploit his lack of fitness. She won the first set 6-4, hitting 26 winners.

The physical toll became clear in the second set. Riggs abandoned his baseline strategy for net play, but King passed him easily. The match was never close thereafter. After his loss, a subdued Riggs admitted, 'She played too well. She was playing well within herself, and I couldn't get the most out of my game. It was over too quickly.'

The key figures from the 1973 'Battle of the Sexes' are summarized in the table below.

Lasting Legacy

For King, the win brought more relief than joy. It safeguarded the momentum of the women's professional tour she helped build. The match's cultural impact was immense. It was a landmark event in the fight for gender equality in sports. Decades later, King's advocacy directly led to equal prize money at the US Open, a policy eventually adopted by all Grand Slam tournaments. Her victory over a 55-year-old former champion was a symbolic triumph that resonated far beyond the tennis court.