Amateur tennis player Jordan Smith just defeated Jannik Sinner and won $1 million
Tennis pros, celebrities and amateurs: How did the Australian Open’s Slam No. 1 evolve?
A sold-out crowd packed Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night to watch the Australian Open’s “1-Point Slam” contest, where professional tennis players including No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and women’s No. 2 Iga Swiatek compete for $1 million against community champions and wildcards such as AFL star Bailey Smith, TV presenter Andy Lee and Mandarin pop star Jay Chou.
The concept was relatively simple and quite brutal. Each “match” was decided by a single point. If you win the point, you advance; If you lose it, you’re out. One misstep, a messy shot, or a misjudged jump and you could kiss goodbye to the million-dollar jackpot.
A “rock, paper, scissors” contest determined who would serve, but this created confusion for many players (are you scoring three or four?)
The million dollar prize was brought onto the court at the start of the slam and left in the corner. The meter-high pile of green coins caused the crowd to hold its breath and provoked laughter when the camera panned to show Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley’s face.
There was early upset in the first round when a nervous Thomas Van Harran succumbed to a double fault and allowed TV star Karl Stefanovic to pass.
Other celebrities like comedian Andy Lee have resorted to some sneaky mind games, taking time to fool around by taking off his jacket and calling for multiple balls before serving. The psychological warfare was successful and Lee won the point against Ashleigh Simes.
Other players chose to interact with the crowd before the game, with fan favorite Nick Kyrgios running around the field. Kyrgios won the point against Steve Yarwood and then celebrated as if he had won Wimbledon.
“This might be the biggest match of my career,” Kyrgios said jokingly.
Unfortunately, Bailey Smith’s AFL talents did not translate to the tennis court as he lost out to Geelong star Jordan Smith.
Over the next few rounds, tennis pros Alexander Bublik, Naomi Osaka, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev began to move effortlessly among the celebrities and community champions.
But the one-point do-or-die pressure took its toll on the pros; Coco Gauff and Félix Auger-Aliassime lost their matches.
Garland put on a great performance throughout the night, defeating men’s No. 3 Alexander Zverev after a long rally.
Joanna Wreath Credit: Getty Images
The 24-year-old Taiwanese player defeated Kyrgios, who then responded with a hilarious racquet swing and a smile. Garland then defeated Sakkari and Donna Vekic to advance to the finals.
The Australian Open’s 1-Point Slam was ultimately a joyous evening defined by good sportsmanship; perhaps best summed up by Garland.
“There are three winners tonight,” Garland told the crowd before playing in the final match. “Tennis, me and him [Smith].
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