King vs Riggs
Billie Jean King, 29, beat Bobby Riggs, 55, 6–4 6–3 6–3 on 20 September 1973 at the Houston Astrodome, in a best-of-five match for $100,000, winner take all. She ran Riggs around early to tire him, then attacked as he slowed.
How the rivalry is played
King planned to serve and volley on almost every point, then chose to run Riggs around early to tire him. She put away his lobs and grew more aggressive as he slowed.
Joel Drucker, Tennis.com, 2021Riggs said afterwards he was overconfident and undertrained. His hand cramped in the third set.
TIME, 1973Four months earlier, on Mother's Day 1973, Riggs had beaten Margaret Court 6–2 6–1.
Billie Jean King's site
The matches that defined it
- 1973 · Houston AstrodomeKing 6–4 6–3 6–3
More than 30,000 in the stadium and tens of millions on television, the year after Title IX.
Tennis.com; TIME
Questions
Who won the Battle of the Sexes?
Billie Jean King, 6–4 6–3 6–3, on 20 September 1973.
Did Bobby Riggs throw the match?
In 2013 ESPN reported a claim that he tanked to clear a gambling debt. King said Riggs tried as hard as he could, his trainer called it false, and no corroborating evidence has emerged.
What we don't claim
- Attendance is given as 30,472 or 30,492, and TV audience estimates range from about 40 to 90 million, so we say 'more than 30,000' and 'tens of millions'.