Melbourne, Jan 14 (IANS) Amateur tennis player Jordan Smith produced a fairytale run at Melbourne Park, stunning reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and a host of top professionals to clinch the inaugural ‘1 Point Slam’ exhibition event, held four days ahead of the start of the 2026 Australian Open.

The unique mixed-gender exhibition, hosted inside Rod Laver Arena, has a prize pool of AUD 1 million and brings together leading professionals and amateurs in a novel format where a single point decides matches. With professionals limited to just one serve, the event delivered high drama and unpredictable outcomes.

Despite the presence of some of the biggest names in world tennis, including Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek, none of the established stars managed to lift the trophy. Instead, it was Sydney native Smith, who captured the spotlight, defeating five professional players during his remarkable run to the title.

Smith’s breakthrough moment came when he eliminated World No. 2 Jannik Sinner. The two-time Australian Open champion’s serve clipped the net, allowing Smith to advance to the next round. He followed it up with another composed performance to knock out US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova before edging past Spain’s Pedro Martinez in a tense semifinal rally.

In the final, Smith faced Chinese Taipei’s Joanna Garland, ranked 117 in the WTA standings. Garland had enjoyed an impressive run herself, having earlier beaten former Grand Slam finalists Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios, as well as Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic. However, the decisive point went Smith’s way after Garland’s forehand sailed long following a deep return from the baseline.

The victory was met with loud celebrations from the crowd, as Smith was crowned the ‘1 Point Slam’ champion and walked away with the lucrative prize.

The Australian Open draw ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, with the main draw action set to begin on Sunday at Melbourne Park. Jannik Sinner is one of the favourites to win the men’s singles title in the year’s first Grand Slam.

–IANS

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