Melbourne, Jan 14 || Austrian tennis star Sebastian Ofner endured a dramatic and embarrassing exit from the Australian Open qualifiers after forgetting the final-set tie-break rules, celebrating prematurely against Nishesh Basavareddy before suffering a stunning defeat.
Ofner seemed to be in complete command after taking a 6-1 lead in the deciding-set tie-break against Nishesh. When he extended the advantage to 7-1, the Austrian prematurely assumed the contest was over and began celebrating, walking towards the net and even thanking the fans.
However, he forgot a crucial rule: final-set tie-breaks at the Australian Open are played to 10 points, not seven. The mistake affected him badly, and his stunned reaction was evident as he returned to the baseline to continue the match.
After the interruption, the tide turned in Basavareddy's favour as he capitalised on the error, winning eight of the next nine points to turn the match around. The American eventually sealed a dramatic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) victory, leaving Ofner shell-shocked by the abrupt turnaround.