TENNIS: Australian Open launches $6.7 million 'Bracket Challenge' for perfect predictions

Tennis fans in Australia have a chance to win A$10 million ($6.71 million) by correctly predicting every match winner at the Australian Open, tournament organizers announced on Tuesday.

The promotion, called the "Bracket Challenge," offers the huge payout to anyone who can perfectly forecast all 127 matches in either the men's or women's singles draw before the tournament begins on Sunday.

"This is a game of skill, not chance," Tennis Australia's Chief Commercial Officer Cedric Cornelis said in a statement. "The AO Bracket Challenge is about rewarding tennis knowledge and creating an exciting new way for fans to engage with the tournament."

Participants must submit their complete bracket predictions after the singles draws are published on Thursday. The competition is open only to Australian residents this year, and the submission window closes one hour before the first match on Sunday. Each person is limited to one entry per draw.

Consolation prizes are also available for those who fall short of perfection, with the highest-scoring brackets in each draw winning A$10,000.

The Australian Open runs from January 18 to February 1 at Melbourne Park.

($1 = 1.4903 Australian dollars)

-Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters