Melbourne, Jan 14 (IANS) 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.

Basavareddy marked the win with a pointed celebration, briefly holding his hands to his neck in a choking gesture before pumping his fist in triumph. On the other side, Ofner could only shake hands with his head down as he realised his mistake had cost him an Australian Open spot.

The 2026 Australian Open is in the final round of qualifying, with the main matches scheduled to begin on January 18 and run until February 1, 2026, at Melbourne Park in Melbourne. This edition is the first Grand Slam of the year and features a record total prize pool of A$111.5 million. Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys are the defending men’s and women’s singles champions, respectively.

The tournament will feature men’s world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who will face stiff competition from 10-time champion Novak Djokovic and defending champion Jannik Sinner. In the women’s draw, women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face competition from Grand Slam champions such as Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka.

–IANS

sds/vi