Jordan Smith has left Australia stunned after taking out the inaugural Australian Open ‘1 Point Slam’ overnight and winning $1 million.
The 29-year-old took out Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and dual grand slam women’s finalist Amanda Anasimova in the tournament that sees amateurs take on professional players and celebrities, before beating world No.117 women’s player Joanna Garland in the final.
Here’s everything we know about Jordan Smith:
Who is Jordan Smith?
Jordan is a 29-year-old amateur tennis player and coach from Sydney.
He has loved tennis since he was three years old, and along with his parents Neil and Michelle, he runs the Castle Hill Academy in Sydney’s Hills District.
“I’m just happy I won a point,” he said in a post-match interview. “I was so nervous.”
Jordan’s parents have run the Academy for more than 30 years and he won multiple junior tennis titles as he was growing up.
After school, he moved to the United States and played in the college circuit and worked towards a career-high singles ranking of 1114.
In an interview with Today after his unexpected victory, Jordan admitted his incredible win hadn’t really “sunk in” yet.
“It’s just been a whirlwind,” he said. “It’s so overwhelming. I don’t really know what’s happened. Loving the experience. My family and friends have come to support. It’s unbelievable.
“To be honest, I only had about two hours of sleep. It’s amazing,” he continued. “It’s going to be such a life changing moment (for my family).
“Obviously growing up, starting tennis at such a young age, my family has supported me for so long.”
How much did Jordan Smith win?
After a backhand error from Joanna Garland in the final, Jordan Smith was the last player standing out of 48, and he was awarded the prize money of $1 million.
“I can’t even speak,” he said in an on-court interview afterwards. “It’s just unbelievable . . . I don’t know what I will do (with the money), invest or buy a house.”
In a follow up interview with Today the day after his victory, Jordan said the $1 million will help him enter the Sydney real estate market.
“I live in Sydney, so it’s pretty expensive, the housing market, I still live at home … it will help us with a mortgage, we’ll put it into a house or an apartment,” he explained on the show.
“It’s a massive help. It might help my girlfriend and I move out in the future.”
How does the ‘1 Point Slam’ tournament work?
The ‘1 Point Slam’ tournament is a relatively new addition to the Australian Open lineup.
The tournament sees 16 top-seeded pros and 8 “wildcards” take on 24 amateurs in a grand-slam style knock-out round of tennis where each match consists of one single point.
Instead of a traditional coin toss, a game of “rock, paper, scissors” decides who serves or receives.
And while the amateurs are allowed two serves, the pros only get one.
This year, men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz, second seed Jannik Sinner and women’s superstars Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, were among the players on the pro side.
Meanwhile, the night’s “wildcards” included AFL player Bailey Smith, Melbourne Cup winner Damien Oliver and television presenters Karl Stefanovic and Andy Lee.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
