Sebastian Ofner was left red-faced after celebrating what he thought was a match point in his Australian Open qualifying tiebreak, only to lose moments later. The Austrian, seeded 19th in qualifying, faced American Nishesh Basavareddy in the second round and took a 6-1 lead in the deciding tiebreak. When Basavareddy sent a shot long, Ofner raised his arms in celebration and started walking to the net, believing he had won.
However, the umpire informed Ofner that in Grand Slam qualifying, the final set tiebreak is first to 10 points, not seven. With a 7-1 lead, Ofner returned to the baseline but quickly lost momentum, dropping seven of the next eight points to level at 8-8. At 11-11, Ofner missed a forehand to give Basavareddy a match point, which the American converted with a net winner to seal a 4-6 6-4 7-6(11) comeback victory.
Basavareddy added insult to injury by mocking Ofner's collapse, making a choking gesture before pumping his fists in celebration. The 20-year-old American will now face Britain's George Loffhagen in the final qualifying round for a place in the main draw.
Basavareddy, who made his Grand Slam debut at last year's Australian Open as a wildcard, took a set off Novak Djokovic before losing. The 10-time champion praised his performance, saying he deserved the applause. With Daniil Medvedev's former coach Gilles Cervara now in his team, Basavareddy is aiming to return to Melbourne Park's main draw.
