BEIJING — Tennis can turn on a dime, but Monday’s China Open semifinal took that to a whole new level.
Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his semifinal against Novak Djokovic after a ball he hit flew into the stands and struck a spectator sitting in the front row. One moment he was fighting to stay alive in the match. The next, his tournament was over.
One swing, one wild sequence
Here’s how it went down. Djokovic led 7-5, 5-3 and was serving for the match when he put away a forehand volley winner. The ball bounced off the advertising boards and back toward his opponent, who smacked a backhand that sailed straight into the front row.
The shot appeared to come out of frustration, the kind of reaction players sometimes have after dropping a big point. The spectator was helped out of the arena while holding a hand over his left eye.
Right after the ball hit the fan, the Russian appeared to wave his left hand in apology. He stayed on the court as the chair umpire and tournament supervisor came down to speak with him. He didn’t seem to put up much of an argument about the ruling, then walked to the net and shook hands with Djokovic.
Medvedev insists it was an accident
Afterward, the Russian made it clear he never meant to hurt anyone. He said the shot was completely accidental and that he didn’t hit the ball in anger. With the ball bouncing back toward him, he explained, he was just trying to knock it somewhere so it wouldn’t roll out of the court.
He also said he felt awful once he saw what had happened. His biggest concern, he said, was that the spectator was OK, since you never know how these situations will turn out. He added that he felt truly sorry for the man and hoped to meet him and make it up to him somehow.
Déjà vu for Djokovic
If this sounds familiar, you’re not imagining things. Djokovic was famously kicked out of the 2020 U.S. Open after he hit a line judge in the throat with a ball, which was also an accident. So if anyone in the building understood what his opponent was going through, it was the guy on the other side of the net.
The 39-year-old said the moment left him a bit shocked and that he didn’t actually see what happened. He said he hoped the spectator wasn’t badly hurt, but he also expressed sympathy for his opponent, noting that he knows exactly how it feels to be disqualified in a big match. He added that he was sure the Russian didn’t do it on purpose and that sometimes these things just happen.
It’s not exactly the rematch anyone had in mind. This was the pair’s first meeting since Djokovic beat Medvedev in the 2023 U.S. Open final.
Djokovic stays perfect in Beijing
However the match ended, the result keeps one remarkable streak alive. Djokovic improved his career record at the China Open to a spotless 33-0. That’s 33 wins and zero losses. At this point, Beijing might as well hand the man a key to the city.
Another semifinal, another early exit
In a strange twist, neither semifinal went the distance. Ninth-ranked Alex de Minaur advanced when Hubert Hurkacz retired midway through the second set with an apparent injury.
De Minaur was leading 6-4, 3-2 when Hurkacz, who could barely run for balls in the second set, stopped playing. The nature of his injury wasn’t immediately clear.
That sets up a Tuesday final between Djokovic and de Minaur. Can the Australian finally put a dent in that perfect record, or will 33-0 become 34-0? Either way, after a semifinal day like this one, fans would probably settle for a match that simply makes it to the final point.
