Jordan Smith, a 29-year-old tennis coach from Sydney, won the inaugural Million Dollar One Point Slam at the Australian Open, claiming the A$1 million prize. The event, held on Rod Laver Arena, featured a knockout format where amateur players competed against professional tennis players and other notable individuals in single-point matches.
Tournament Overview
The One Point Slam was introduced by Tennis Australia, attracting a full house to Rod Laver Arena during its opening week. The competition involved a diverse field of 48 players, including current professionals such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff, alongside local celebrities and qualifiers. Smith, a former US college player with a career-high ATP rank of 1,141, qualified through the Sydney bracket.
Smith's Path to Victory
Smith's tournament run included victories over world number two Jannik Sinner and women's world number four Amanda Anisimova. In the final, he competed against Joanna Garland, who is ranked 117th globally. Garland had advanced to the final after defeating men's world number three Alexander Zverev and former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios. Smith has indicated plans to either invest the prize money or purchase a house in Sydney.
Format and Mechanics
The tournament structure dictated that each tie was decided by a single point. To balance the competition, professional players were restricted to a single serve per point. The individual designated to serve for each point was determined by a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Reception and Observations
The new format garnered support from professional players, including Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina, who noted its community engagement and audience appeal. Observations on the format highlighted several aspects:
- Operational Considerations: Matches sometimes concluded rapidly due to faults, and commercial breaks occasionally led to delays.
- Strategic Elements: Players often chose to receive the serve, placing pressure on the server. Most serves resulted in baseline rallies.
- Diverse Representation: Six women reached the quarter-finals of the tournament.
- Notable Plays: French player Arthur Rinderknech attempted a powerful, high-risk serve, stating "Go big or go home" after faulting and subsequently exiting the competition.