Medvedev Disqualified After Hitting Spectator at China Open, Djokovic Marches Into Final

A Shocking End to a Gruelling Battle

What had been a physically punishing semi-final at the China Open in Beijing came to an extraordinary halt on Monday when Daniil Medvedev was disqualified after accidentally sending a ball into the face of a spectator sitting in the front row. The incident occurred at a critical moment: Medvedev trailed Novak Djokovic 7-5, 5-3 and was facing match point pressure at 15-15 when Djokovic struck a clean winner past him. As the ball bounced back off the rear wall, Medvedev took a frustrated swipe at it with his backhand, sending it airborne and into the crowd. The fan doubled over clutching his face and was eventually helped out of the arena and taken to hospital.

After consulting with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani and a tournament official, the outcome was clear: Medvedev was defaulted. He walked to the net, shook hands with Djokovic, and later expressed deep remorse in his post-match press conference. Medvedev called it a "100 per cent accident," emphasising he had no intention of harming anyone and was simply trying to keep the ball inside the court. As a consequence of the default, he forfeits all ranking points and prize money earned in Beijing this week.

Djokovic Makes History, Sets Up Final with De Minaur

For Djokovic, the win extends his flawless Beijing record to an astonishing 33 wins and zero losses across all his appearances at the tournament. At 39 years and four months old, he also became the oldest player ever to reach an ATP 500 event final, surpassing Roger Federer's previous mark. Djokovic, who himself was disqualified at the 2020 US Open for a similar incident, showed genuine empathy for Medvedev afterward, saying he knew "exactly how it feels" to be disqualified in a major match. The Serbian saved 16 of the 18 break points he faced across the two-hour-and-24-minute contest before the default brought proceedings to a close. He now faces Alex de Minaur in Tuesday's final, aiming for a seventh China Open title. TennisDraw users had Djokovic as a strong favourite to reach the Beijing final all week.