Wrexham Open's first One Point Grand champion to receive wild card to play in Australian Open's Million Dollar One Point Slam

Pictured: The Lexus Wrexham Open's One Point Grand will take place at Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre on Monday, October 19.

An exciting knockout tennis competition between professional players and amateurs, inspired by the success of the Australian Open's Million Dollar One Point Slam, will be held for the first time at this year's Lexus Wrexham Open.

The winner of our first One Point Grand will receive £1,000 and a wild card to play in January's One Point Slam in Melbourne, potentially against some of the biggest stars in tennis, as part of an all expenses paid trip to the Australian Open.

The One Point Grand will see 16 of the professional players competing in the Lexus Wrexham Open joined by 16 amateurs at Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre on Monday, October 19 (7.30pm start).

Dave Courteen, the Lexus Wrexham Open promoter, said the new addition to the event promises to be a special night at the start of tournament week, with tickets now available for spectators.

Just like in the Australian Open's One Point Slam, players in our Wrexham equivalent will face each other in matches lasting just one point. A toss will decide who serves, with the pros having just one serve and the amateurs two. Whoever wins the point goes through to the next round.

Dave said: “It captured everybody's imagination at the Australian Open and it's a great way of engaging with people, so we thought we would stage our own version in Wrexham. It will be a fun two-hour event with music, interviews and nerve-jangling entertainment for the spectators - and there will be jeopardy on every point.

"When you watch tennis, the critical part is often at the end of a match, but every single point really matters in the One Point Grand, which makes it so exciting with every point being so crucial.

"It will be a new experience for the professional tennis players taking part as they wouldn't usually have the chance to be involved in an event like this during a tournament. They will be in Wrexham ahead of the main draw matches starting the following day, and it's certainly generated a lot of interest and intrigue among them."

Dave added: "It was always going to be an exciting event, but the fact we have now managed to secure a wild card for the winner of the One Point Grand to play in the Australian Open's next Million Dollar One Point Slam as part of an all-expenses paid trip to Melbourne has only added to the sense of anticipation.

"We are so grateful to the Australian Open and Haier, the sponsors of the One Point Slam, for making this happen.

"Of the 16 amateurs playing in our One Point Grand, 12 of them will be club players from across North Wales and the north west, with the four other spots going to celebrity wild cards.

"It literally means that a local amateur player, should they be crowned One Point Grand champion, could go from playing in Wrexham to finding themselves on a Grand Slam court in January standing on the other side of the net from potentially Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka or Carlos Alcaraz. Just how amazing is that?

"The One Point Grand will to be broadcast live on the BBC iPlayer, so what an opportunity for the amateur players to shine and see how they perform against professionals playing just one point.

"We hope there will be a big crowd to enjoy what promises to be a really special and memorable evening - with the stakes even higher now the prize up for grabs has become so much bigger with the huge incentive of a wild card to the Australian Open's Million Dollar One Point Slam."

An amateur hit the headlines by winning the Australian Open's Million Dollar One Point Slam earlier this year, with Jordan Smith, a tennis coach from Sydney, walking away with A$1m in prize money after winning an event which featured some of the biggest names in tennis.

Tickets to attend the Lexus Wrexham Open's One Point Grand on Monday, October 19 are available to purchase priced £9.50 for adults and £5.50 for under-16s from the tournament website.