Aus Open: Ofner celebrates too early, ends up losing to Nishesh Basavareddy

Dubai: Sebastian Ofner endured a painful moment at Melbourne Park after forgetting that the final-set tiebreak requires a player to reach 10 points to secure victory.

In his second-round qualifying match against American Nishesh Basavareddy, with both players having won a set apiece, the Austrian surged to a commanding 6—1 lead in the deciding tiebreak. After winning the next point, Ofner prematurely celebrated, only for the umpire to intervene and remind him that the match was not yet over.

A visibly embarrassed Ofner returned to the service line and went on to lose eight of the following nine points, allowing Basavareddy to seize control. The American ultimately clinched a dramatic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) victory, celebrating by holding his hands to his neck in what appeared to be a “choking” gesture toward his opponent.

“I knew there was still some time,” Basavareddy said afterward. “In a super tiebreak, you always have a chance, so I kept believing.

“After I won that next point at 1-7, I felt like those moments can make someone start overthinking — thinking they’ve already won and moved on to the next round. That definitely gave me a bit of hope.”

Basavareddy, who will face Britain’s George Loffhagen in the final round of qualifying, added: “I could see him tense up a little. The balls were quite old, so every rally was a battle. My main focus was just to keep as many balls in play as possible.”