Watch: Saturday Night Live parodies Billie Jean King's famous 'Battle of The Sexes' win

Billie Jean King has been the pioneer of women's tennis for a long time, and one of the most iconic moments of her career came in 1973 when she won the famous 'Battle of The Sexes.'

Three months after taking the necessary steps to form an organization catering only to women's tennis, which was named the Women's Tennis Association, Billie Jean King was invited to play a tennis match against former men's World No. 1 Bobby Riggs. The match, dubbed 'Battle of The Sexes,' took place at the Houston Astrodome on September 20, 1973.

Billie Jean King defeated Riggs in straight sets, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3, and took home the $100,000 prize money. This is one of the most watched televised sporting events of all time, witnessed by 90 million people worldwide on TV and over 30,000 people at the Houston Astrodome.

Saturday Night Live, the famous American comedy sketch show, recently looked back at the 'Battle of The Sexes' and gave it a fun twist in one of their parodies. In their sketch, a female player named Charna Laa Diamond, played by Sarah Sherman, is known for her outspoken nature and bold tennis style. She challenged any men's player to a tennis match, similar to King vs. Riggs, and one opponent stepped up.

Ronny Dunster, played by Jason Momoa, is the "largest" tennis player of that time and accepted Diamond's challenge. However, in a hilarious twist during the match set in 1969, four years before Kings' 'Battle of The Sexes,' Dunster's powerful serve first ripped through Diamond's stomach.

But Diamond did not give up and played on. Then another Dunster's serve took off her head. It was then revealed that Diamond was the lowest-ranked women's player. Her dress, with a hole in the middle, was later placed in a spoof 'Tennis Hall of Fame.'

Billie Jean King looked back at the 'Battle of The Sexes' win on its 50th anniversary

Billie Jean King

The tennis world recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 'Battle of The Sexes' in 2023, and Billie Jean King recalled the special contest in an interview with People magazine. The 79-year-old stated that the win over Riggs gave her the confidence to ask for better treatment for women in tennis.

King revealed that many women from different age groups came forward to congratulate her for the watershed moment. She continued how the 'Battle of The Sexes' inspired the new generation.

"It gave women self-confidence to ask for what they want and need because we're taught not to," King said. "They ask for raises. I've had so many women tell me how it changed their lives or their grandmother's life or whoever; just the different generations it's covered," she continued. "I still do interviews for 10-year-olds that bring it up in their reports for school."

In another interview, King talked about the pressure on her during the match. She felt like losing against Riggs would have been a major setback for women's tennis and hamper any progress they had made.

"I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match. It would ruin the women's tour and affect the self-esteem of all women," King said.