Australian Open 2026: Tennis fans all say same thing after amateur beats Jannik Sinner en route to $1m prize

The Australian Open's one-point slam has proven an overwhelming success after amateur player Jordan Smith beat the likes of Jannik Sinner and Amanda Anisimova en route to the $1 million prize. The new gimmick put some of the world's best players alongside amateurs and celebrities in matches consisting of a solitary point.

The one-point slam was held at the Australian Open last year, but the prize was only $60,000 and hardly any of the top players participated. This year it was worth $1 million and attracted way more attention, with a sold-out crowd packing into Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night.

The increased prize money proved a masterstroke as the gimmick captivated the tennis world and drew way more eyeballs. In the end it was Smith from Castle Hill in Sydney who claimed the $1 million.

A former pro player who reached World No.748 in doubles and No.1141 in singles, Smith earned just over $6000 during his career. The 29-year-old now runs his own amateur tennis academy with his family, and walked away with life-changing money on Wednesday night.

Smith went through 'qualifying' to reach the final stage on Wednesday night, and beat women's No.86 Laura Pigossi in his first one-point match. He then faced men's World No.2 Sinner, and the two-time Australian Open champ faulted to send Smith through.

Smith then beat women's World No.4 Anisimova, before taking down Pedro Martinez. He faced Joanna Garland in the final, and the World No.117 made an error to give Smith the $1 million.

"I can't even speak," Smith said with his mother, father and two brothers - who run the Castle Hill Tennis Academy - watching on in disbelief from the stands. Asked what he would spend his winnings on, he said: "Invest or buy a house definitely with my girlfriend."

Tennis world loves one-point slam at Australian Open

Garland beat massive names Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Maria Sakkari and Donna Vekic en route to the final. The concept proved immensely popular, with fans and players flocking to social media to express how much they enjoyed it.

American star Taylor Fritz wrote: "Now that I'm actually watching it on TV, massive L (loss) from me to not be playing the one point slam, this looks like so much fun."

Commentator George Simms wrote: "Assumed the One Point Slam would irritate me, was completely wrong - I could watch this every day…Two Aussie TV presenters through in the first eight games because their opponents have just crumbled. Maybe all sport should be one point."

While another commented: "The Million Dollar 1 Point Slam has to be tennis’ best invention in a really long time."

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