BOBBY RIGGS DIES

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Tennis Hall of Famer Bobby Riggs, who won Wimbledon and three straight U.S. Open championships, but is best known for losing the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match against Billie Jean King, died of prostate cancer Wednesday at age 77. In 1973, Riggs challenged King, then dominating women's tennis, to a match that gave the women's game unprecedented attention and credibility, especially as Riggs promoted the event by playing up the superiority of male athletes. The contest was seen by some 50 million viewers, in addition to the more than 30,000 present at the Houston Astrodome. Riggs, who was 55 at the time, lost in straight sets to the 29-year-old King.