Daniil Medvedev disqualified as Novak Djokovic semi-final ends in chaos at China Open
Daniil Medvedev‘s enthralling China Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic ended in chaos with the Russian disqualified for hitting a member of the crowd. Djokovic was leading 7-5, 5-3 after the two had played for two-and-a-half hours in an absorbing contest. But the match in Beijing ended in sad circumstances when Medvedev was punished for accidentally smacking a spectator sitting in the first row in the face with a stray ball, earning him an automatic default. The crowd member was shown covering his face with both hands, clearly in discomfort, as those around him gestured for medical assistance. He was later escorted from his seat for a check-up.
Djokovic had only been three points away from sealing victory while serving at 15-15, 5-3. But his first match against Medvedev since the 2023 US Open final ended abruptly, with Medvedev forced to walk off before finishing the decisive game. The third seed stands to lose all of his ranking points and prize money – £166,542 ($219,925) – as a result of his default.
It also means Djokovic progresses to the final where he will face fifth seed Alex de Minaur tomorrow.
Six-time Beijing champion Djokovic said immediately after: “A bit of a shock to be honest. Sorry for the person. I honestly didn’t see what happened. I hope the person is not badly injured. On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil. I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified.
In a big match I was disqualified back in 2020 at the US Open for similar circumstances. I’m sure that Daniil did not want to do this intentionally. It just happens. I was three points away from the win. It was a gruelling battle. I definitely didn’t want to take this battle to a third set.
It was looking like that. I saved I don’t know how many break points. It was crazy. I don’t know. It always is a big battle with Daniil. It’s so hard to play him when he’s feeling the ball well in slower conditions and big serve. But yeah, we move on.”
On extending his unbeaten career record at this tournament to 33-0, the 39-year-old added: “I always believe in myself. I felt like I played really well in training sessions. But obviously it’s different when you play an official match.
“My draw wasn’t very favourable to be honest. I played very tough matches from the beginning. But it makes the run to the final even sweeter. Another final. There’s something about Beijing that keeps me going!”
