A TENNIS star accidentally killed a BAT with a serve in an incredible freak incident.
Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha was playing in an ATP Challenger event in India.
A freak incident saw Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha accidentally kill a bat
The mammal landed next to Arjun Kadhe on the other side of the net
The Indian star, 27, teamed up with compatriot Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli.
They lost 6-1 6-3 in the quarter-finals to No2 seeds Arjun Kadhe and Maximilian Neuchrist.
But the match will be remembered for one completely unforgettable moment late in the first set.
Poonacha was serving at 5-1 down when he unleashed his serve.
But in an unfortunate twist of events, the ball lands in the service box… before the bat hits the deck just outside the court near Kadhe’s feet – 20m away from Poonacha.
It is not completely clear initially when the bat took the fatal blow – either by Poonacha’s racket or the ball in mid-flight.
All four players, the chair umpire, line judges and ball kids all looked utterly stunned as they looked helplessly at the stricken mammal.
Poonacha, ranked 711th in the ATP tennis singles rankings, walked to his chair and chatted with the umpire while Neuchrist took a closer look.
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And it appeared Poonacha must have hit the bat directly because he immediately wiped his racket strings – possibly due to the blood.
A tournament official then arrived on the edge of the camera screen and removed the bat from the court in Pune, 100 miles south-east of Mumbai.
Sports writer Courtney Walsh said: “Incredible scenes!”
And another Twitter user commented: “In the wrong place at the wrong time.”