One Point Slam moves to Rod Laver Arena with AUD $1m prize

Tennis Australia has moved the One Point Slam into a primetime slot at Rod Laver Arena in the week before the Australian Open main draw, Independent.co reports.

The 32-player field is split equally between current or former professionals and amateurs drawn from Australian club qualifiers, and the revived format has attracted Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek. Organisers have placed an AUD $1m prize on the line, and because matches are sudden-death single points the eventual champion needs to win just five points to claim the money. Ten amateurs advanced through regional qualifiers, with final qualifying held at Melbourne Park and entrants told rackets would be provided.

Match procedure is straightforward: a pre-match rock-paper-scissors or coin toss decides who serves; amateurs receive two serves while professionals have one, and the winner of the point advances. Win four matches to reach the final and win the final point to take the prize. The event will be streamed on the Australian Open's YouTube channel on Wednesday 14 January from 8:30 am UK time, and the inaugural edition — highlighted by 56-year-old Paul 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald beating three pros to reach the semi-finals — underlined how outcomes can hinge on serving faults or tactical choices about serving or receiving.

Key Topics

Sports, One Point Slam, Rod Laver Arena, Tennis Australia, Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz