In a dramatic turn of events at the China Open in Beijing, Daniil Medvedev was defaulted from his semi‑final match after a stray shot unintentionally struck a member of the audience. The incident occurred while Novak Djokovic was mounting a remarkable comeback, ultimately extending his flawless record at the tournament to 33‑0 and positioning himself just one victory away from claiming his first title of the 2026 season. The clash unfolded on Monday evening, with Medvedev trailing 7‑5, 5‑3 and three points away from losing the match.
During a rally, Djokovic produced a winner that ricocheted off the back wall, prompting Medvedev to swing a backhand in an effort to return the ball. The shot flew over the net and into the stands, where it made contact with a spectator near the left eye.
The fan was immediately assisted by arena staff and later transported to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation. Tournament officials confirmed that the player would forfeit the match, lose all ranking points earned, and forfeit any prize money accumulated up to that stage. Medvedev later issued a heartfelt apology, stating, "I am terribly sorry to the spectator.
I am trying to get in touch with him, and if he wants to talk, I would like to apologize in person. I hope he is okay; his well‑being is my top priority. It was a 100 percent accident. You can see I didn’t hit the ball in anger.
I usually don’t abuse the ball, and this was a mis‑judged attempt to keep the ball in play when it was bouncing back toward the court. When I saw the result, I felt horrible and hope to meet him and make amends." He emphasized that the ball had been rebounding off the wall and that his instinct was simply to hit it away rather than let it go out of bounds. Djokovic, who himself was defaulted at the 2020 US Open after unintentionally hitting a line judge with a ball, expressed sympathy for the injured fan and for Medvedev.
"It is a bit of a shock, to be honest. I am sorry for the person.
I hope he is not badly injured. I also feel sorry for Daniil because I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified in a big match. I’m sure he didn’t intend this," the 39‑year‑old Serbian said. The Serbian star, a six‑time China Open champion between 2009 and 2015, had not competed in the event for several years before returning this season.
After a grueling quarter‑final win over world No. 2 Alexander Zverev on Sunday, Djokovic advanced to face Alex de Minaur in the final, eyeing his 102nd career title and his first since the Hellenic Championship less than a year ago.
Reflecting on his semi‑final, Djokovic noted, "It was a gruelling battle that I definitely didn’t want to take to a third set. It always is a big battle with Daniil; he makes it tough when the conditions are slower and his serve is big. I always believe in myself and felt I played well in training, but an official match is a different animal. My draw wasn’t favourable, very tough matches from the beginning, but that makes the run to the final sweeter.
Something about Beijing keeps me going." Djokovic’s recent form has been a story of resurgence. After reaching the Australian Open final in January and losing to Carlos Alcaraz, he struggled with fitness and form, slipping out of the world’s top ten. However, his performance in Beijing has propelled him back into the elite tier. The 24‑time Grand Slam champion has played only eight tournaments this year, citing an ongoing medical condition that causes fatigue and occasional vomiting, especially in hot and humid environments.
In the other semi‑final, Alex de Minaur advanced after his opponent Hubert Hurkacz retired due to injury while trailing 6‑4, 3‑2. De Minaur will now contest the championship against Djokovic. The women’s draw also saw notable developments.
Britain’s Sonay Kartal, making a comeback after a stress fracture in her back, was eliminated in the third round by Alina Charaeva, who had earlier upset world No. 1 Elena Rybakina. Kartal’s return to the WTA Tour marked her first tournament since March, and she had secured wins over Andrea Lazaro Garcia and Wang Xinyu before the loss.
Rybakina, the reigning US Open champion, subsequently withdrew from the upcoming Wuhan Open because of a foot injury, stating, "I’ll take some time to rest and recover." Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek demonstrated resilience by overturning a set and a 5‑2 deficit to defeat Donna Vekic 4‑6, 7‑6 (7‑0), 6‑2, and Coco Gauff breezed past Xinran Sun 7‑5, 6‑1 to reach the last 16. On the ATP side, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz fought back from a set down to beat compatriot Jaume Munar 5‑7, 6‑3, 6‑1 at the Japan Open, securing his first final appearance since the Monte‑Carlo Masters in April.
Alcaraz, who had missed the French Open and Wimbledon due to a wrist injury, later reached the quarter‑finals of the US Open before falling to Ben Shelton in five sets. He said, "I don’t know what happened in the first set.
It seems I struggle at the start, but I always come back and I’m happy with that." If Alcaraz captures the Japan Open title for a second consecutive year—having defeated Taylor Fritz in the 2025 final—it will be his third tournament win of the season after triumphs in Australia and Qatar, and the 27th of his career. Fans can watch the ATP Japan Open and ATP China Open finals live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports Main Event starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, with streaming options available on NOW without a contract.