The Tennis Australia ‘One Point Slam’ ended with a Sydney tennis coach taking home the AU$1m (US$670,000) top prize. Jordan Smith, whose career-high world ranking was 1,141 in 2023, managed to beat top stars of the sport like Jannik Sinner, Pedro Martinez, and Joanna Garland. Smith played collegiate tennis at Gonzaga University in Washington.
each knockout match decided by a single point
The unique event was a precursor to the Australian Open that starts on Sunday. It saw each knockout match decided by a single point. The players would play rock, paper, scissors to decide who would serve. The professional players would only get a single serve against amateurs and celebrities.
Smith qualified for the One Point Slam by winning the New South Wales state championship. The concept was a success, with a sell-out crowd at the Rod Laver Arena.
Another version of this event took place last year, on a much smaller scale. Only a single professional player partook and the top prize was less than US$50,000.
Tennis Australia has been looking at ways to attract more attention to its annual landmark tournament. Another eye-catching concept was the rollout of a prediction bracket competition. In collaboration with digital assets firm Nexo, Tennis Australia is offering an AU$10m (US$6.7m) prize if someone successfully predicts the outcome of every one of the 127 matches in the men’s or women’s singles events.
