‘Sides in a historic tennis battle’ NYT Mini Crossword Aug. 2 answer and hints

Unless you’re a tennis buff, today’s NYT Crossword puzzle clue, “Sides in a historic tennis ‘battle'” isn’t easy to crack. Unfortunately, tennis is one sport I know little about, so this clue had me guessing in all the wrong places.

“Sides in a historic tennis ‘battle'” is one of the five-across clue from the Aug. 2 NYT mini crossword puzzle. If you’re here, you probably need help solving this clue. I understand entirely, and I’ve included hints and the answer further down.

‘Sides in a historic tennis “battle”‘ Aug. 2 NYT Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: It rhymes with flexes.
• Hint 2: It starts with an “S.”
• Hint 3: The words means to identify the sex of.
• Hint 4: The clue could also be written as “A tennis match dubbed the Battle of the ____.”

If you read on, you’ll find the answer to this clue. If you’re still trying to solve this clue with the hints above, please don’t continue reading until you’re ready for the answer.

The answer to the “Sides in a historic tennis’ battle'” clue is “SEXES.” After some research, I discovered this historic tennis battle—dubbed the Battle of the Sexes—refers to a tennis match that happened on Sept. 20, 1973, where women’s tennis champion Billie Jean King defeated the men’s tennis champion, Bobby Riggs, in three straight sets. It was an iconic moment in history.

Now you know the answer to this clue, you can continue working on the rest of the Aug. 2 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle. Or you can find all the clues and answers below.

All NYT Mini Crossword puzzle (Aug. 2) clues and answers

Across

• 1A Orion’s___ (giant waist of space?) — BELT
• 5A Sides in a historic tennis “battle” — SEXES
• 6A You might really feel this in your core — PLANK
• 7A “___well that ends well” — ALLS
• 8A W.S.J. or WaPo Competito r— NYT

Down

• 1D What’s visible when wearing a crop top — BELLY
• 2D Glorify — EXALT
• 3D Monocle’s middle — LENS
• 4D “Shame, shame!” clicking sound — TSK
• 5D Reach across — SPAN

‘Sides in a historic tennis “battle”‘ clue: Difficulty, ranked

If this clue was written as I hinted in Hint Four (a tennis match dubbed the Battle of the ____), this clue would have been easy. After reading the actual clue, I thought it might refer to a battle between two famous people or a fight that might have broken out over tennis. And, in some respect, I was right (give me this one).

But even after solving this clue, I still had no idea what this battle was and had to look it up. While this clue might have been easy for tennis enthusiasts, it’s tough for those who aren’t, which is why I’d give it a difficulty rating of four out of five.

If you’ve finished the NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, try these next

Now that you’ve finished today’s NYT Mini Crossword puzzle, why not try the ones from the LA Times or the Washington Post? They’re quick, easy, and reset daily. Or, if you’d like to try some word games, try Strands or Spelling Bee.