Austria's Sebastian Ofner celebrated victory too early, forgetting he still needed another three points to win.
BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveClose menu BBC SportMenuHomeFootballCricketFormula 1Rugby UTennisGolfAthleticsCyclingMoreA-Z SportsAmerican FootballAthleticsBasketballBoxingCricketCyclingDartsDisability SportFootballFormula 1Gaelic GamesGolfGymnasticsHorse RacingMixed Martial ArtsMotorsportNetballOlympic SportsRugby LeagueRugby UnionSnookerSwimmingTennisWinter SportsFull Sports A-ZMore from SportEnglandScotlandWalesNorthern IrelandNews FeedsHelp & FAQsTennisScores & ScheduleCalendarOfner loses in Melbourne after celebrating earlyImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sebastian Ofner's best performance at a Grand Slam is a fourth-round showing at the 2023 French Open
Sebastian Ofner made a sorry exit from Australian Open qualifying after forgetting the rules and celebrating victory early - before going on to lose the match.
The Austrian thought he had clinched victory over Nishesh Basavareddy at 7-1 in the third-set tie-break and raised his arms in celebration, pointing at his head as he walked towards the net to shake hands with his American opponent.
However, final-set tie-breaks are played to 10 points, meaning he still needed another three points to win.
Ofner only realised his mistake when the umpire briefly spoke to him.
Basavareddy then reeled off eight of the next nine points on the way to winning 4-6 6-4 7-6 (13-11) and advancing to the final round of qualifying at Melbourne Park.
The 20-year-old held his hands to his neck in a 'choking' gesture before letting out a roar of celebration.
"In a super [match] tie-break, you always have a chance, so I kept believing," Basavareddy told the Australian Open website., external
"I saw him tense up a little bit, but the balls were quite old there, so every rally was a war."
Basavareddy will face Britain's George Loffhagen for a place in the Australian Open main draw.
Loffhagen was leading the qualifying eighth seed Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3 3-1 when the Japanese player retired with an injury.
Britain's Arthur Fery beat Australian former world number 17 Bernard Tomic 6-4 6-2 to set up a meeting with Croatia's Dino Prizmic.
But Harriet Dart's hopes are over after she lost a deciding third set to Thailand's Lanlana Tararudee in a 6-0 3-6 6-3 defeat.
Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley are already in the men's main draw, while Emma Raducanu, Francesca Jones, Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter will feature in the women's singles.
Earlier, British number two Norrie was denied a quarter-final place at the Auckland Classic by Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
World number 28 Norrie, a two-time runner-up at the event, had a match point in the 10th game of the third set but fell to a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) defeat.
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