Published October 5, 2026October 5, 2026Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his semifinal against Novak Djokovic at the China Open after hitting a ball into the stands that hit a spectator in the front row on Monday. The spectator was helped out of the arena, covering his left eye with one hand. He hit the ball into the stands in apparent frustration. After a forehand volley winner from Djokovic, the ball bounced off the billboards and back toward Medvedev, who hit a backhand that sailed into the stands. The spectator who was hit was helped away while Medvedev remained on the court watching. The chair umpire and tournament supervisor came down to the court to speak with Medvedev, who did not seem to discuss the disqualification much. Medvedev then walked to the net and shook Djokovic’s hand. The incident was reminiscent of when Djokovic was kicked out of the 2020 US Open for accidentally hitting a linesman in the throat with a ball. “A little bit of a shock, to be honest,” Djokovic said. “Honestly, I didn’t see what happened. I hope that person is not seriously injured. On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil, because I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified in a big match… I’m sure Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally. It just happens.” Medvedev has a history of behavioral problems on the court. He was fined 6,000 euros ($7,000) for unsportsmanlike conduct after he broke his racquet seven times during a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Matteo Berrettini at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this year. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev looks on after being disqualified in Beijing [Achmad Ibrahim/AP]Djokovic extends perfect recordDjokovic extended his perfect career record at the China Open to 33-0. Aiming for a seventh China Open title in Tuesday’s final, Djokovic will face ninth-ranked Alex de Minaur, who advanced when Hubert Hurkacz withdrew due to an apparent injury midway through the second set of their semifinal. It will be Djokovic’s second final of the year after losing to Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open. On December 11, this is the first time in eight years that Djokovic has played a tournament without being in the top 10. It is also his first tournament since he was eliminated in the first round of the US Open. The 39-year-old Serbian bounced back to beat top seed Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals on Sunday. Against Medvedev, Djokovic was caught twice exceeding the time limit on the service clock. After receiving a warning for the first time, he was stripped of his first serve on a crucial break point midway through the second set. But Djokovic still won the point. Medvedev won just two of 18 break points as the pair of former No. 1s traded one grueling comeback after another. The match was at the 2 hour and 29 minute mark when Medvedev was suspended. “I was three points away from victory,” Djokovic said. “It’s always a big battle with Daniil, and it’s very difficult to play against him when he feels the ball well in slower conditions with a great serve. But we keep going.” Swiatek recovered from Donna Vekic 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2 and will face Iva Jovic, who beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 7-5. Elina Svitolina defeated Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5. Later, Coco Gauff played 16-year-old Chinese wild card Sun Xinran, who recently won the US Open junior title. Rybakina withdraws from WuhanUS Open champion Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the upcoming Wuhan Open due to a foot injury. On Saturday, Rybakina lost her first match with the No. 1 ranking when she was eliminated in Beijing by No. 118 Alina Charaeva of Armenia in the second round. “I will take some time to rest and recover,” Rybakina said, according to Wuhan Open organizers. 6-1 to reach the round of 16.
