Medvedev Disqualified After Hitting Spectator During China Open Semifinal

Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic on October 5, 2026, after hitting a ball that struck a spectator in the stands. The incident occurred during Djokovic's service game with the Serbian player leading 7-5, 5-3. After losing a rally, a ball rebounded off the wall behind Medvedev, who then forcefully struck it toward the stands, hitting a spectator in the head. The spectator was assisted out of the stadium with a hand covering their face. Djokovic advanced to the final without completing the match, extending his undefeated China Open record to 33-0 across his career. Medvedev became the first player in China Open history to be disqualified from the tournament.

As a result of the disqualification, Medvedev forfeited 200 ATP ranking points and approximately $220,000 in prize money. Following the incident, Medvedev expressed regret and stated he attempted to contact the spectator to apologize. Djokovic commented post-match that he sympathized with both the spectator and Medvedev, noting that he did not believe the action was intentional and recalling his own 2020 US Open disqualification for accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball.

Djokovich will face Australian fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur in the final on October 6. De Minaur advanced to the final after his opponent, Hubert Hurkacz, withdrew from their semifinal due to injury while trailing 6-4, 3-2 in the second set. The Beijing tournament is an ATP 500 event played on hard courts with a total purse of $4 million.