Agassi, Blake top pickleball players Waters, Bouchard in battle of the sexes
Nearly 53 years after the original “Battle of the Sexes,” the men got their revenge.
Wednesday night at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Andre Agassi and James Blake defeated Anna Leigh Waters and Genie Bouchard, 3-1 in Ares Pickleball Slam 4.
More than half a century ago, Billy Jean King, 29, defeated Bobby Riggs, 55, in tennis.
On Wednesday, the women again had youth on their side — Waters is 19, and Bouchard is 32 while Agassi is 55, and Blake is 46.
In fact, Waters, the No. 1 female pickleball player in the world, defeated Blake in the opening match 15-13, 15-5. However, Agassi outlasted Bouchard 15-11, 4-15, 15-5.
Then, in the deciding doubles match that was worth two points, Agassi/Blake emerged with a 25-23, 21-15 victory.
Here are five takeaways from the event, which was televised by ESPN and came with a $1-million check for the winners.
1: THE PREP: For weeks before the event, Agassi drove from his home in Las Vegas to San Diego, where Blake lives, so they could practice. Agassi would also text Blake as early as 5 a.m., talking strategy and sharing pickleball tips.
It must have worked because the men sprung the upset. The women were the favorites — both in the betting odds and in terms of the fans cheering.
The women also trained together, by the way.
“I spent some time at [Waters’] house,” Bouchard said. “We did Tik Toks together. [Waters] is super young and energetic. I’m a little bit more low-key.”
2: THE HYPE: Agassi said this event was more about sport and less about gender.
“I know it was hyped as a ‘Battle of the Sexes,’ but, to me, this was a celebration of pickleball and tennis,” Agassi said. “Recognizing that we can help each other and add to people’s lives — it was a great thing.
“For Genie, it took a lot of courage to step into the world of professional pickleball. She has done it with a lot of grace. She is so darn good.”
Blake also came away from the match with a ton of respect for the women, especially Waters, who beat him in singles.
“It’s funny that the 19-year-old had way more [pickleball] experience than the 46-year-old,” Blake said. “I thought my only advantages would be my speed and size. But she is so precise and so accurate. She has plenty of variety.
“She proved why she’s the best.”
3: THE MEN’S STRATEGY: Of the four players competing in this event, all of them made their mark in tennis – except for Waters, who at age 12 became pickleball’s youngest pro. She has since broken all the records with 187 titles, including 43 “triple crowns,” awarded when a player sweeps the trophies at a tournament, winning singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Bouchard, a Canadian who now lives on Miami Beach, reached as high as No. 5 in the world in tennis, advancing to the final at Wimbledon in 2014. She turned pro in pickleball two years ago, and while she has reached top 10 in the world in singles, Agassi and Blake targeted her in an effort to avoid Waters.
“It was definitely target practice at me,” Bouchard said. “I’m playing with the G.O.A.T. [greatest of all time], and it’s tough. The guys are hitting big balls, and I’m always expecting it to go to me, so I’m over-thinking it. They are bigger and stronger, so the ball was coming at me pretty fast.”
Told that she blocked a lot of shots, Bouchard replied: “not enough.”
To guard against the men’s strategy, Waters was covering about 60% to 70% of the court at times.
“I was trying to [cover, but] I’m not the longest person,” said Waters, who is 5-6. “It was frustrating.
“Going into the event, I didn’t know how much they would target Genie. I was upset that I wasn’t seeing that many balls. I was trying to be as much of a supporting partner as I could to Genie. She was playing well.
“Honestly, the guys just played unbelievable. Genie might not have played her best, but she didn’t play bad. The guys were just bringing a lot of force and power.”
Said Agassi: “There’s no question we have a healthy respect for what Anna Leigh can do with the ball. She has proven it her whole career. It’s magic what she can do with that paddle. We wanted her to touch the ball as little as possible.”
4: THE WOMEN’S STRATEGY: Agassi is a legend — eight Grand Slams titles, three Davis Cup championships and one Olympic gold medal.
Still, because of Agassi’s age, the women targeted him.
“We felt maybe he was getting a little tired,” Bouchard said.
Prior to the match, Waters said she was going to attack Blake’s backhand.
Neither strategy worked.
Said Agassi: “Absolutely, they were going to target me more than James because I’m going to have a harder time getting down [to reach shots].”
Agassi also said he loves pickleball more than tennis.
“I have a tortured relationship with tennis,” he said. “Part of it is that I don’t hurt in the wrong places the day after pickleball.”
5: THE REMATCH? Waters, unsolicited, brought up the subject.
“We’ll need to see a rematch, for sure,” Waters said.
Told that the women would have won if the event were singles matches only and the endurance issue would have mattered a bit more, Waters smiled.
“Thank you,” she said. “I agree. If I played Andre in singles, I hope I would win that match.”
The men were all in on the idea of a rematch.
Said Blake: “Let’s do it.”
Added Agassi: “100 percent% let’s clean this [confetti-covered] court and go right now!”
This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 1:29 PM.
