Daniil Medvedev disqualified from China Open after hitting spectator with ball

Daniil Medvedev has been disqualified from his China Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic after hitting a ball into the crowd and striking a spectator in the face.

The world number five was trailing 7-5, 5-3 in Beijing on Monday when the incident occurred. After losing a point with Djokovic serving for the match, Medvedev struck a ball that had rebounded off the back wall. It flew into the front row of the stands, hitting a fan in the left eye.

Play was stopped immediately as the spectator clutched his face in pain. Assisted by stadium staff, the man left the gallery and was subsequently taken to hospital, according to tournament organisers.

Following a brief discussion with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani and an ATP Tour official on the court, Medvedev was defaulted. The disqualification means he forfeits all ranking points and prize money earned during the tournament.

What Medvedev and Djokovic said about the incident

Afterwards, Medvedev was quick to express his regret and insisted he had no malicious intent.

"Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all," Medvedev said. "It was 100 per cent accident. You can see I didn't hit the ball in anger. I do a lot of bad things but usually ball abuse is not my thing."

The Russian added that he was trying to contact the spectator to apologise in person. "When I saw the result, I felt horrible," he said.

Djokovic, who now advances to Tuesday's final, expressed his own shock but offered some sympathy for his opponent. The Serbian star was famously disqualified from the US Open in 2020 under similar circumstances after accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball.

"I hope that person is not badly injured," Djokovic said. "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 that Daniil didn't want to do this intentionally."

Djokovic reaches the Beijing final

The match itself had been a gruelling contest lasting nearly two and a half hours before the abrupt finish. Djokovic, who saved 16 of the 18 break points he faced, extended his unbeaten record at the China Open to 33-0.

He will face Australia's Alex de Minaur in the final, as Djokovic chases his first title of the 2026 season. De Minaur advanced to the final after his semi-final opponent, Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, was forced to retire with an adductor injury while trailing 6-4, 3-2.

For Medvedev, the disqualification marks another controversial moment in a career that has seen several high-profile outbursts. Last year, he received a $42,500 fine at the US Open for an altercation involving a photographer, and was fined £54,000 at the Australian Open for smashing a net camera.