CHENNAI: The Australian Open, known as the Happy Slam, continued its innovative One Point Slam. And the made for TV event saw participation from the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner and Iga Swiatek. In the end, though, the winner was Jordan Smith, a little known amateur who took home the top prize. A look...
Wait, he beat Sinner?
Well, yes, kind of. So how this mixed gender event works is each match lasts all of one point and there are no warm-up, no rallies. It's man vs man or woman vs man or woman vs man. It features six rounds (five rounds if you are a seeded player) with the person winning it taking home a million dollars. Smith, en route to the final, prevailed over the Italian after the faulted on his serve. All pros get only one serve. Following that, he took out the likes of Amanda Anisimova and Pedro Martinez to reach the final.
Who did he face in the final?
True to the event's nascent unofficial branding ('anything can happen'), he faced Joanna Garland, a World No. 117. Garland had actually lost in the actual Australian Open qualifying on Tuesday, advanced through the qualifying event of the one point Slam before taking out the likes of Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios and Donna Vekic. However, one shanked return in the final was all it took for Smith to walk away with the top honour.
What about the Alcaraz and Swiatek?
Carlos Alcaraz, who loves a drop shot during the final of Majors, went to his trusted shot but it let him down against Maria Sakkari, a WTA star. Swiatek lost to Spain's Pedro Martinez. Others like Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev were expected to have a chance but they also fell by the wayside on a night where amateurs won big.
Is this a thing among all Majors?
Well, no, but considering Rod Laver Arena was filled to the brim to watch it, it could well be. After a lowkey first edition in 2025 (it didn't have the stars and the prize pot was minimal), they went big this year after the US Open came out with a novel mixed doubles event to open their Slam. This is all part of a wider moment by the Slams to maximise their earning potential in the week leading upto the Major.