Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semifinal in Beijing on Monday, October 5, after a ball he struck hit a spectator, sending Novak Djokovic into the final. Sportsnet reported that Djokovic led 7-5, 5-3, with the ninth game of the second set at 15-15 when the incident occurred.
According to Sportsnet, Medvedev missed a shot and then hit the ball after it rebounded from the back wall, sending it into the front row. The spectator covered his eyes with a hand. Reuters reported that stadium staff helped him leave the stands; those reports did not establish the severity of any injury.
The decision ended the match before Djokovic could complete the second set through normal play. The Serbian, 39, extended his unbeaten Beijing record to 33 wins, according to Field Level Media. He has won the tournament six times and now has the opportunity to claim a seventh title in the Chinese capital.
The ATP had identified this tournament as Djokovic’s first appearance in Beijing since 2015. Its pre-event account listed his record at 29 wins without defeat, underlining the unbeaten history he brought into the ATP 500 competition. Monday’s result added another victory to that run while ending Medvedev’s campaign.
The other semifinal also finished early. Australia’s Alex de Minaur led Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 3-2 when the Polish player retired with an injury, Field Level Media reported. Both finalists therefore advanced from matches that ended before the usual winning score, through a retirement and a disqualification respectively.
Djokovic and de Minaur will meet in Tuesday’s final on October 6. Field Level Media reported that Djokovic leads their previous meetings 3-1 and will seek his 102nd ATP Tour singles title. The final gives de Minaur the chance to end the six-time champion’s unbeaten record at this event.
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