Medvedev defaulted after ball hits spectator as Djokovic reaches China Open final
Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic in Beijing on Monday, October 5, 2026, after he struck a ball into the stands and injured a spectator. Tournament officials defaulted Medvedev while Djokovic was serving for the match.
After a point, Medvedev struck a ball towards the back of the court in frustration after it had rebounded towards him; the ball flew into the first row and appeared to hit a spectator near the left eye. The fan received immediate medical assistance and was escorted from the stands as play was halted and officials spoke to Medvedev before ordering the default.
"It’s a shock to be honest. I hope the person isn’t badly injured. But at the same time, I feel bad for Daniil. I’m sure he didn’t want to do it intentionally," Djokovic said after the match. DANIIL MEDVEDEV DISQUALIFIED FOR HITTING A SPECTATOR WITH A BALL NOVAK DJOKOVIC INTO THE BEIJING FINAL. https://t.co/pdkl3nTF3d— Kalshi Tennis (@KalshiTen) October 5, 2026
Djokovic had won the opening set 7-5 and was leading 5-3 in the second when the incident occurred, leaving him one game from reaching the final. The match was brought to an abrupt end with Djokovic serving for the victory.
The victory extended Djokovic's China Open record to 33-0. The 39-year-old had won all six of his previous appearances in Beijing, collecting six titles between 2009 and 2015 before returning to the tournament this year after an 11-year absence.
Djokovic reached the semifinal after a quarter-final comeback against Alexander Zverev, recovering from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Alex de Minaur advanced to the championship match when Hubert Hurkacz retired during their semifinal; de Minaur had taken the opening set 6-4 and was leading 1-0 in the second when Hurkacz stopped.
Djokovic will face Alex de Minaur in Tuesday's final, a match that would give Djokovic his seventh China Open title and his first trophy of 2026 if he wins, and would be his 102nd career ATP title. For Medvedev, the day will be remembered for a costly loss of control that ended his tournament.
