Sebastian Ofner, the world No131 from Austria, suffered a humiliating exit from qualifying for the Australian Open after celebrating prematurely in a deciding tie-break before going on to lose the match.
Ofner, 29, was unaware that tie-breaks in the final set are played to ten points, so when he went 7-1 ahead against Nishesh Basavareddy, the world No239 from the United States, he raised his arms in celebration and began to walk to the net.
He was informed by the umpire that he still required a further three points, but Basavareddy then staged an extraordinary comeback, winning eight of the next nine points and clinching the tie-break 13-11 to reach the final round of qualifying.
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Basavareddy will face George Loffhagen, the 24-year-old British player, for a place in the main draw at the first grand-slam tournament of the season which begins in Melbourne next week.
“I knew there was still some time, in a super tie-break you always have a chance, so I kept believing,” Basavareddy said. “I saw him tense up a little bit, but the balls were quite old, so every rally was a war and that was my main focus, just to put as many balls in play.”
Loffhagen, the world No211 from London, was leading 6-3, 3-1 against Yoshihito Nishioka when his Japanese opponent was forced to withdraw through injury.
Basavareddy celebrates his impressive comeback with a choking gesture
Ten-point tie-breaks were first introduced at the Australian Open in 2019 and all four grand-slams adopted the rule in 2022. At the 2023 US Open Aryna Sabalenka celebrated prematurely when she reached seven points in her semi-final against Madison Keys, but she then went on to win the tie-break before losing the final to Coco Gauff.