In a heart-stopping moment that captivated Rod Laver Arena, a West Australian amateur tennis player came agonisingly close to a million-dollar payday at the Australian Open.
The Million-Dollar Point That Slipped Away
Steve Yarwood, a 38-year-old father of two from Perth, saw his dream of winning $1 million evaporate by mere centimetres during the novel 1 Point Slam tournament on Wednesday, 14 January 2026.
Representing Cottesloe Tennis Club, Yarwood earned the right to serve against Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios after winning his seventh consecutive pre-match game of paper, rock, scissors. The sudden-death format, where every match is decided by a single point, meant the stakes could not have been higher: win and advance, lose and go home.
Kyrgios Survives Scare Against Local Hero
In front of a packed centre court crowd, Yarwood's opening serve wasn't clean, but Kyrgios – the former world No. 13 – returned it with a nervous forehand. Yarwood, who had won all six of his previous points in the Australia-wide tournament on his serve and hadn't needed to hit a ground shot, seized his chance.
He struck a forehand and rushed the net, putting pressure on the seasoned professional. Kyrgios responded with a cross-court backhand that nicked the line. For a fleeting moment, Yarwood and the crowd believed he had toppled the giant, but the call went against him.
"He thought he'd done it," one could imagine the collective gasp turning to groans of sympathy as the ball was ruled in.
What Was Lost in a Split-Second
The defeat meant Yarwood was denied not only the $1 million prize but also a Kia car awarded to the leading amateur in the tournament. His potential path forward had been tantalisingly clear.
A victory would have set up a second-round clash with Russian Andrey Rublev, the Australian Open's 12th seed. Beyond that, a potential quarter-final meeting with world No. 1 Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz was on the line. Instead, his extraordinary run in the unique competition ended in the most agonising fashion possible.
While the million-dollar shot slipped away, Steve Yarwood's story of an everyday club player stepping onto tennis's biggest stage and nearly defeating one of the game's biggest names will be remembered as one of the most dramatic moments of the 2026 Australian Open.
