Austrian tennis player Sebastian Ofner (29, 131 ATP) exited the Australian Open qualifiers today in an unfortunate way, after forgetting the rules and celebrating prematurely, only to lose the match in the end.
The Austrian was convinced he had won the match against Nishesh Basavareddy (20, 239 ATP) when he went 7-1 up in the deciding set tie-break. Convinced that the game was over, he raised his arms in celebration and headed for the net. to shake hands with his opponent in the United States.
In reality, the decisive tie-break is played to 10 points (supertie-break), so Ofner needed three more to close out the match. The mistake only became clear after a brief discussion with the referee.
Taking advantage of the moment, with Ofner mentally shaken, Basavareddy won eight of the next nine points and prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) to qualify for the final preliminary round at Melbourne Park.
In the next round of qualifications, Basavareddy will meet the British George Loffhagen (24 years old, 211 ATP), the stake being a place on the main draw of the tournament.
The Australian Open begins on Sunday, January 18 with the main draw matches.
