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Recreational competitors are getting the possibility to win A$1m when they face tennis' top professionals - including world number one Carlos Alcaraz - in a winner-takes-all point leading up to the year's first major

Organizers of the Australian Open have announced the Seven-Figure Quick-Fire Competition, which will pair 10 amateur players against top-ranked players in a knockout tournament at Melbourne Park

How the Event Will Work

Competitors are set to play 'the classic hand game' to establish who gets to serve or return, and the competitor securing the point will progress to the next round

The champion of the event will take home approximately half a million pounds

By comparison, players who advanced to the final four of the primary tournaments in the 2025 Australian Open won over a million Australian dollars

Previous Similar Events

The US Open organized a restructured, separate combined gender tournament in August which motivated top singles players to compete, with the champions receiving $1m

The Melbourne tournament held its debut quick-fire event earlier this year, but the cash prize was sixty thousand Australian dollars and it had limited exposure

Andrey Rublev was the only top-10 player participating, and his progress came to an end when he directed the single service opportunity granted into the net in his penultimate round

Event Information

Organizers have not specified precisely how the event will work, but it is expected to mirror a similar format to the previous version

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

While it is not certain how the draw will work, there will be five knockout rounds and the venue will be the primary court rather than the alternative court

The last matches will occur in a nighttime schedule instead of 1pm local time

Entry Details

Domestic competitors - or foreign participants who have signed up with Tennis Australia - can compete in 'quick-match event' tournaments at their local tennis clubs

The winners of the grassroots tournaments will then go into a draw, with one amateur player from every geographic division selected to take part in the 'championship round' in a nighttime event on the specified date

There will also be a entry tournament in December which amateurs, aspiring competitors, famous personalities and sports personalities can enter

It begins on early January and the pair of champions will go into Wednesday's 'championship match' with the additional everyday players and top-ranked athletes

"Whether you're an amateur or a pro, the final champion will claim the reward. Entries will begin shortly at clubs throughout the nation"

Competition planners mentioned there were "additional stars to be unveiled imminently", while the tournament site said "celebrities" would be participating