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Amateur players are getting the chance to claim A$1m when they face elite players - headed by top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point prior to the year's first major

Tournament officials of the Australian Open have unveiled the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will match 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a single-elimination format at the tournament grounds

This Innovative Tournament Functions

Players will play 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who gets to serve or return, and the player who wins the point will progress to the following stage

The winner of the event will earn £490,000

By comparison, players who reached the final four of the men's or women's singles in the 2025 Australian Open won substantial prize money

Previous Similar Events

The US Open staged a restructured, standalone combined gender tournament in the eighth month which encouraged top singles players to compete, with the victors receiving one million US dollars

The Melbourne tournament held its inaugural One Point Slam this year, but the cash prize was a smaller amount and it generated little publicity

Andrey Rublev was the sole elite competitor involved, and his campaign finished when he put the sole serving chance allowed into the mesh in his last eight match

Competition Information

Planners have not specified precisely how the event will function, but it is projected to mirror a similar format to the most recent iteration

The top competitors will be granted to make one service and the non-professionals on two occasions - as is the norm in standard play

While it is not certain how the bracket will work, there will be multiple elimination stages and the venue will be the main stadium rather than the smaller Kia Arena

The concluding rounds will be held in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Entry Details

Any Australians - or overseas competitors who have signed up with the governing body - can enter 'single-point competition' competitions at their neighborhood facilities

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a random pairing, with a single non-professional from every region and area selected to take part in the 'grand finale' in a nighttime event on mid-January

There will also be a entry tournament in December which amateurs, developing professionals, well-known figures and sports personalities can enter

It begins on Monday, 12 January and the successful competitors will qualify for the following day's 'final showdown' with the other eight amateurs and elite competitors

"No matter your experience, the final champion will walk away with the prize. Applications will open soon at clubs across the country"

Competition planners stated there were "further celebrities to be revealed shortly", while the official website indicated "celebrities" would be involved