Premature Celebration Proves Costly in Melbourne
A moment of costly confusion saw Austrian tennis professional Sebastian Ofner crash out of Australian Open qualifying in the most dramatic and unfortunate fashion on Wednesday 14 January 2026. Believing he had secured victory, Ofner began celebrating prematurely, only to be informed he needed more points to win, ultimately losing the match to American Nishesh Basavareddy.
The Moment of Misunderstanding
Facing Basavareddy in the second round of qualifying in Melbourne, the match reached a tense third-set tiebreak. When Ofner, the 29-year-old world number 120, surged to a 7-1 lead, he assumed the contest was over. Raising his arms in triumph, he delivered a fist pump and tapped his head before heading to the net to shake hands.
However, third-set tiebreaks in Australian Open qualifying are played to 10 points, not the conventional 7. The chair umpire was forced to intervene, informing a stunned Ofner that he still required three more points for victory. A sheepish Ofner then had to return to the baseline to continue.
Basavareddy Seizes His Chance
Inspired by his opponent's grave error, the 20-year-old Basavareddy mounted an extraordinary comeback. He won eight of the next nine points to earn a match point. After saving two match points himself, Basavareddy finally sealed a remarkable 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) victory on his second opportunity.
His celebration for the *actual* win was pointed: he held his hands to his neck in a 'choking' gesture and roared in triumph as a despondent Ofner trudged forward to concede defeat.
"I knew there was still some time… In a super [match] tiebreak, you always have a chance, so I kept believing," Basavareddy said post-match. "After I won that next point [at 1-7] I was like – generally when that happens, you start overthinking... So yeah, that definitely gave me a little bit of hope."
Aftermath and Next Steps
The defeat marks a brutal end to Ofner's Australian Open campaign for 2026, a tournament where he has previously reached the third round. For Basavareddy, the win sets up a final qualifying round clash against Great Britain’s George Loffhagen for a coveted spot in the main draw.
Basavareddy will be hoping to return to Melbourne Park, where last year he famously won the opening set against Novak Djokovic before eventually losing in four sets in the first round. This dramatic victory, born from his opponent's premature celebration, gives him another shot at the big stage.
