Sydney tennis battler Jordan Smith has lived out a real-life David-versus-Goliath dream to win the $1 million 'One Point Slam' at Melbourne Park.
Smith claimed the prized scalps of two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and dual grand slam women's finalist Amanda Anasimova en route to Wednesday night's final of Tennis Australia's all-or-nothing innovation.
The 29-year-old could not believe his good fortune when he then upset women's world No.117 Joanna Garland in the final to upstage the game's superstars and claim a life-changing million-dollar cheque at Rod Laver Arena.
"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, the humble champion said: "Invest or buy a house definitely with my girlfriend."
After suffering a first-round loss in Australian Open qualifying this week, Garland proved the fans' favourite of the night while eliminating 2025 AO runner-up Alexander Zverev, home star Nick Kyrgios and women's professionals Maria Sakari and Donna Vekic en route to the final.
"I'm loving it," the 24-year-old Brit said, claiming she did not even tell her friends she was competing, so low were her expectations.
The event was being staged for only the second time.
The pre-Australian Open concept was introduced last year with Russian firebrand Andrey Rublev the only top-10 player featuring and bombing out with a service fault in the quarter-finals.
The 2025 prize pool was only $60,000, but a star-studded line-up this year played for a million bucks.
The format was simple enough, with 16 top-seeded pros - headed up by world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, second seed Sinner and women's superstars Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka - all enjoying first-round byes before the competition morphed into a grand slam-style knockout from the last-32 stage onwards.
Each match consisted of one single point.
Instead of a traditional coin toss, a game of "rock, paper, scissors" decided who served or received.
Crucially, the 24 amateurs who qualified or were awarded wildcards were allowed two serves but any current ATP or WTA-ranked players only got one.
In an early indicator of the unpredictable nature of the contest, French world No.34 Corentin Moutet was the first player eliminated after misfiring his return against Argentinean touring coach Andres Schneitner.
Nick Kyrgios barely survived his opening "match".
"My heart is racing. That was a good serve. Honestly, this feels like the finals of Wimbledon," Kyrgios said after his backhand passing shot caught the line to crush WA state champion Steve Yarwood's dreams of a million-dollar run.
Kyrgios ultimately bowed out when he over-cooked a backhand in his quarter-final with Garland, the eventual runner-up.
"Biggest win of my life, right?" Garland said.
As the biggest men's stars perished under the pressure, six-times grand slam champion Iga Swiatek struck the first blow for women's tennis, bossing world No.22 Flavio Cobolli from the baseline to win the first "Battle of the Sexes" match-up.
The big-hitting Anisimova then out-duelled three-time AO runner-up Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe lost his nerve and serve against Swiatek and Alcaraz succumbed to Sakkari as the men dropped like flies.
Sinner confessed to feeling the heat when he dumped a serve into the net to gift Smith a place in the quarter-finals.
"I kind of called it so that's how it happens," Sinner said, having elected to receive in his opening match.
"You cannot imagine my heartbeat right now. It's around 200, but I survived until now," the Italian world No.2 said after outlasting Carreno Busta in his anxious opener.
Queensland state champion qualifier Alec Reverente settled for a new car after beating Smith in the showdown of the two last standing amateurs.
But the night belonged, almost fittingly, to a battler named Smith.
"It's insane," he said before walking away with the spoils.
