Daniil Medvedev was defaulted from his China Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic after a ball struck a spectator in the eye
The incident happened when Medvedev was trailing 5-7, 3-5 in Beijing on Monday
Novak Djokovic said he was shocked and hoped the injured spectator was not badly hurt
Daniil Medvedev’s China Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic ended in disqualification on Monday after he sent a rebounding ball into the crowd and hit a spectator in the eye. He was down 5-7, 3-5 when it happened. Djokovic moved into the final after the match stopped suddenly.
After dropping the point, Medvedev hit the ball back as it rebounded off the wall and sent it into the seats behind him. It struck a spectator in the first row in the eye. The fan grabbed his left eye at once, looked in pain and was led out of the gallery by stadium staff.
Djokovic was serving for the match when Medvedev was defaulted. "I was shocked, to be honest... I hope that person is not badly injured," Djokovic said. "On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil because I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified in a big match ... I'm sure that Daniil didn't want to do this intentionally."
Djokovic's Similar Past
The episode meant more for Djokovic because of his own past. He was thrown out of the 2020 US Open after a ball he hit struck a line judge by accident.
That default came in his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta. The China Open incident echoed that exit and explained why Djokovic spoke with sympathy for both the injured spectator and Medvedev.
The parallel was hard to miss. The Beijing semi-final revived memories of Djokovic's controversial departure from New York six years ago.
Beijing Final Path
Another men's semi-final also ended early on Monday. The China Open saw Hubert Hurkacz retire with an apparent adductor injury, sending Alex de Minaur through to the final.
Djokovic's win stretched his China Open record to 33-0. It also put him into his seventh final in Beijing.
The other men's semi-final also ended early. Alex de Minaur advanced after Hubert Hurkacz retired with an apparent adductor injury.
De Minaur led 6-4, 3-2 when Hurkacz stopped. Hurkacz had struggled with his movement during the match. De Minaur will face Djokovic in Tuesday's final.
Women's Draw Update
Iga Swiatek had to rally. The six-time Grand Slam champion beat Donna Vekic 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2 after dropping the opening set.
Swiatek next meets Iva Jovic. Jovic beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 7-5 to move on.
Elina Svitolina also advanced with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Maria Sakkari. Coco Gauff was facing 16-year-old Chinese wild card Sun Xinran.
