MELBOURNE, Jan 15 — For fans who came hoping to see Jay Chou trade lyrical bars for baseline rallies, the 1 Point Slam exhibition delivered something far rarer: a one-second cameo that instantly entered pop-sports folklore.
Amid the buzz around the Taiwanese superstar’s appearance, Chou’s time on court at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne yesterday was over almost as soon as it began.
In the winner-takes-all format — one point, one match — the An Jing singer was undone by a blistering opening serve from 24-year-old Australian amateur Petar Jovic that landed untouched on his side of the court.
Game, set, celebrity exit.
The light-hearted exhibition paired 24 professionals against 24 amateurs and celebrity wildcards, with Chou joining a playful line-up that included Twitch streamer Loserfruit and TV presenters Karl Stefanovic and Andy Lee. Blink and you missed Chou’s rally — or lack of one — but not his reaction.
Ever the showman, Chou took the defeat in stride, flashing a thumbs-up to Jovic before leaving the court smiling.
He had earlier said he would donate the prize money to charity if he won — though the pledge never had a chance to be tested.
Later, he leaned fully into the joke on Instagram, writing: “As expected, I didn’t even get to touch the ball. All I could do was sign autographs for everyone.”
If Chou provided the punchline, the night still had a fairytale ending. Amateur player Jordan Smith walked away with the A$1 million (RM2.7 million) top prize after beating world No.117 Joanna Garland in the final.
“Coming in tonight, I was just happy to win one point,” Smith said, adding that he planned to buy a house with his winnings.
“I was nervous but I enjoyed being out here. Was a great experience.”
As for Chou, he may not have won a point — or even touched the ball — but he still stole the spotlight. In tennis terms, it was an ace… just not his.
