The AO 1 Point Slam Driven by Kia continues to gather momentum, with more of the world’s leading players committing to the $1 million, winner-takes-all showdown, as State Champions are crowned across Australia.
Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka, finalists Daniil Medvedev and Qinwen Zheng, world No.5 Felix Auger-Aliassime and world No.8 Jasmine Paolini are the latest top players to confirm their spot in the 1 Point Slam main draw on Wednesday 14 January.
Over the weekend, seven State Champions were crowned at 1 Point Slam State Championships nationwide, joining Thomas Van Haaren from Alice Springs Tennis Association, who was named the AO 1 Point Slam NT Champion earlier this month in Darwin.
Each State Champion will be flown to Melbourne, with three night’s accommodation for a once-in-a-lifetime Australian Open player experience before stepping onto Rod Laver Arena to compete alongside some of the sport’s biggest names.
“The strength of the 1 Point Slam Driven by Kia is the mix of the world’s best players and passionate community competitors. Having former AO champion Naomi Osaka and stars like Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Jasmine Paolini and Qinwen Zheng lining up alongside State Champions from across Australia makes this a truly unique Australian Open experience,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.
“It’s been fantastic to see the Australian tennis community get behind the AO 1 Point Slam with more than 235 clubs hosting an event locally and more than 5000 players entering. We can’t wait to see which club will walk away with the $50k tennis grant come January.
“With qualifying at Melbourne Park opening on Wednesday, there are still plenty of opportunities to win a coveted spot in the main and the chance to win $1 million.”
AO 1 Point Slam State Champions
Australian Capital Territory: Ashleigh Simes 22, representing Weston Creek Tennis Club
Ashleigh completed a tennis scholarship at Lee University in Tennessee, graduating with a degree in Business Administration in May. Since graduation, Ashleigh has been playing and training in Europe, before arriving back in Canberra a week ago. A product of the ACT pathway, Ashleigh has progressed from the junior ranks to being named ACT Player of the Year in both 2024 and 2025.
New South Wales: Jordan Smith, 29, representing Castle Hill Tennis Academy
Jordan has been playing tennis since he was three years old, with his dad coaching him from an early age. He won two national junior singles titles and three national junior doubles titles between 2008 and 2012 and captained the Oakhill College First V tennis team to their state title in 2014. As a junior he played against Cam Norrie and Alexander Zverev.
Northern Territory: Thomas Van Haaren, 22, representing Alice Springs Tennis Association
Thomas played college tennis in Nebraska in 2023. He returned to Alice Springs in 2024, adapting from synthetic grass to hard court to win his opportunity to play at Melbourne Park, point-by-point.
Queensland: Alec Reverente, 23, representing Sandgate and District Junior Tennis Association
Alec has been playing tennis since he was nine years old, has competed in many tournaments and more recently taken up a career in coaching. If he takes home the $1 million, he says he will use some of the winnings to give back to his club which has supported him throughout his tennis journey and would benefit from some new courts.
South Australia: Ashwin Vijayaragavan, 37, representing Tea Tree Gully Tennis Club
Ashwin started playing tennis at the age of 11, going on to play college tennis for the University of Texas. He represented India in the Davis Cup in 2013 and reached a world ranking of 570. Ashwin is the Club Coach at Tea Tree Gully Tennis Club in Adelaide and plays in Tea Tree Gully’s Tennis SA State League team. He has won the Player of the Year award on three occasions in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Tasmania: Kyle Mackin, 35, representing Devonport Tennis Club
While Tasmania’s 1 Point Slam State Championship Kyle hails from Western Australia, he is looking forward to representing the State in Melbourne. He has played competitive tennis since he was about eight years old, going on to play at the state level. He still plays and coaches tennis as a hobby.
Victoria: Petar Jovic, 24, representing Cranbourne Tennis Club
Petar has been playing tennis since he was six years old and currently plays on the Futures Tour. He has been a hitting partner for top players at the AO including Taylor Fritz, Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Holger Rune.
Western Australia: Steve Yarwood, 38, representing Cottlesloe Tennis Club
Steve started playing tennis as a teenager but has been playing more competitively since the age of 21. Steve credits his 1 Point Slam wins so far to his rock, paper, scissors experience, having played in a rock, paper, scissors championship a while ago. This has led to him choosing to serve, a tactic that has worked well so far. His favourite player is Novak Djokovic.
In addition to the $1 million prize money on offer for the eventual champion, the last non-professional player standing will take home a brand-new Kia EV3 GT-Line in Matcha Green.
Marriott Bonvoy, the Official Hotel Partner of the AO 1 Point Slam Driven by Kia, is giving the State Champions an unforgettable AO experience, with accommodation at Westin Melbourne and one hundred thousand Marriott Bonvoy points each, which can be redeemed for flights, accommodation, dining and car rentals across the world.
New Balance, the Official Performance Apparel and Footwear Partner, will kit out State Champions in the brand-new AO x New Balance range, ensuring they take the court dressed like the pros.
AO 1 Point Slam Clubs
Forty clubs from around Australia will be represented by a player in the main on 14 January. The venue represented by the eventual champion will receive a $50,000 grant from Tennis Australia.
ACT
Weston Creek Tennis Club, Weston Creek
NSW
Castle Hill Tennis Academy, Castle Hill
City Community Tennis, Surry Hills
Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai District Tennis Association - Superb Tennis, Asquith
Nelson Bay Tennis Club, Nelson Bay
Vince Barclay Tennis, Macquarie Park
Wyong District Tennis Association, Wyong
NT
Alice Springs Tennis Association, Alice Springs
Gardens Tennis Club, Darwin
Tennis Palmerston, Moulden
Qld
Gladstone Tennis & Squash Association, Gladstone Central
Sandgate and District Junior Tennis Association, Deagon
SA
Hope Valley Tennis Club, Hope Valley
Lyndoch Tennis Club, Lyndoch
Tea Tree Gully Tennis Club, Banksia Park
WA
Cottesloe Tennis Club, Cottesloe
Margaret River Tennis Club, Margaret River
Safety Bay Tennis Club, Safety Bay
Vic
Balnarring Tennis Club, Balnarring
Caroline Springs Tennis Club, Caroline Springs
Chelsea Heights Tennis Club, Chealsea Heights
Cranbourne Tennis Club, Cranbourne East
Devon Meadows Tennis Club, Devon Meadows
East Ringwood Tennis Club, Ringwood East
Frankston Centenary Tennis Club, Frankston North
Geelong Lawn Tennis Club, Belmont Geelong
Hawthorn Tennis Club, Hawthorn
Karingal Drive Tennis Club, Greensborough
Keon Park Tennis Club, Reservoir
MCC Glen Iris Valley Tennis Club, Mount Waverley
Miller Park Tennis Club, Boronia
Mt Eliza Tennis Club, Frankston North
North Box Hill Tennis Club, Box Hill North
Orrong Park Tennis Centre, Prahran
South Hawthorn Tennis Club, Hawthorn East
Surf Coast Tennis Club, Torquay
Tennis Ballarat, Sebastopol
Wangaratta Lawn Tennis Club, Wangaratta
Williamstown Central Tennis Club, Williamstown
Tas
Devonport Tennis Club, Devonport
AO 1 Point Slam Qualifying
Community players will have the opportunity to play their way into the main draw, with qualifying to be held at Melbourne Park during Opening Week presented by Herald Sun from Monday 12 to Wednesday 14 January. Qualifying entries open at 9am AEDT on Wednesday 24 December.
For more information and to register for qualifying, visit tennis.com.au/one-point-slam.
Tickets for the Million Dollar 1 Point Slam main draw are on-sale via Ticketmaster.
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