'1 Point Slam' exhibition, featuring Alcaraz, Sinner and Gauff, won by amateur Jordan Smith

The Australian Open is known as the ‘Happy Slam’ for a reason.

Four days out from the start of the main draw, Melbourne Park hosted the ‘1 Point Slam’, a tennis exhibition event between amateur and professional players with a prize pot of AUD$1 million ($668,000 US).

Grand Slam matches can go up to five sets in the men’s singles competition, but as the name suggests, only one point would be played to determine the winner and loser in a mixed-gender matchup where the pros had just one serve.

Featuring the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, and Iga Świątek, none of the professionals could open their campaign with the million-dollar prize and exhibition trophy.

Instead, it was amateur player Jordan Smith who beat five professional players, including two-time Australian Open champion Sinner, to claim the grand prize to the raucous joy of the home faithful inside Rod Laver Arena.

Smith eliminated Sinner after the world No. 2’s serve did not clear the net, moving on to face - and beat - US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova. The Sydney native then edged out Pedro Martínez in a semi-final rally to advance to the final.

There, he played WTA world No. 117 Joanna Garland, the Chinese Taipei player who had beaten former Grand Slam finalists Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios back-to-back, as well as Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic, to reach the final.

Garland served out wide, and with Smith’s return in and deep to the baseline, Garland hit a stray forehand and crowned Smith the 1 Point Slam champion.

The Australian Open draw takes place on Thursday (15 January), before the main draw action gets underway in Melbourne this Sunday (18 January).

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