Medvedev defaulted from China Open semi after ball strikes spectator
Daniil Medvedev was defaulted from his China Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic on 5 October 2026 after a ball he struck hit a spectator, ending the match while he trailed 7-5 5-3. The incident occurred during the semi-final in Beijing and resulted in an immediate disqualification.
Djokovic had won a rally to make the score 15-15 when his return landed beyond Medvedev; the ball then ricocheted off the back of the court. Medvedev, visibly irritated, swiped at a backhand which sent the ball into the air and it struck a fan seated in the front row behind him. The spectator doubled over, holding his face and later his eye, and was helped out of the arena. Medvedev spoke with umpire Mohamed Lahyani and an ATP official before approaching the net to shake hands with Djokovic.
"Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all," Medvedev said. "I'm trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologise in person and see how he feels. I just hope he's OK. That's the most important. I just really care about him right now."
Djokovic, who was defaulted from the 2020 US Open for a similar incident, expressed sympathy for the fan and for Medvedev. "It's a bit of a shock to be honest. I hope that person is not badly injured," he said. "I also feel sorry for Daniil. I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match. I am sure that Daniil did not want to do this intentionally."
Tournament regulations make defaults rare and are enforced when players breach the code of conduct, including ball abuse, physical or verbal abuse, or racquet abuse. While players can receive three code violations and then be disqualified on a subsequent offence, officials judged Medvedev's action serious enough to warrant an immediate default. As a result he will lose the ranking points and prize money he had accumulated by reaching the last four in Beijing.
Medvedev, described in the report as a 30-year-old with a history of emotional on-court incidents, has previously been fined for misconduct: nearly £31,500 ($42,500) after a meltdown at last year's US Open when a photographer walked on court, and again after he smashed a racquet following a 6-0 6-0 loss at the Monte Carlo Masters in April. He told BBC Sport in 2025 that he was attempting to work on his behaviour: "When I'm on the court I hate to lose; I love to win. My first goal is to win the match, so it brings a lot of adrenaline out and it brings all the energy out. Sometimes it is a good energy. Sometimes it is a bad one."
The default brought an early end to a contest in which 39-year-old Djokovic had performed strongly, saving 16 of the 18 break points he faced. Djokovic extended his unbeaten run at the China Open to 33-0 and has won the title six times; the report notes he has taken at least one title each year since 2006 and that this was his first final appearance since the Australian Open, where he lost to then world number one Carlos Alcaraz in four sets. The piece also records Djokovic's recent results: a semi-final exit at Wimbledon to Jannik Sinner, a third-round loss at the French Open, and a first-round exit at the US Open.
Elsewhere in the region, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz recovered to beat Jaume Munar 5-7 6-3 6-1 to reach the Japan Open final, having led 5-3 in the first set and served for it before losing 16 consecutive points to drop the opener. Alcaraz will meet Jiri Lehecka in the final after the Czech defeated Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-2.
Djokovic will play Alex de Minaur in Tuesday's China Open final.
