Daniil Medvedev's run at the China Open ended not with a final shot but with a default. Trailing Novak Djokovic 7-5, 5-3 in Monday's semifinal in Beijing and three points from a straight-sets defeat, the fifth-ranked Russian chased a ball into the backhand corner, let it bounce off the back wall when he couldn't reach it, and swatted it into the stands in frustration. It struck a seated spectator near his left eye, according to UPI and Sky Sports.
The man was helped from his seat holding his eye and escorted from the arena; tournament organizers said afterward he had been taken to a hospital, though neither outlet has reported further on his condition. Under tour rules, hitting a ball out of play in a way that endangers spectators is grounds for an immediate default, and the chair umpire disqualified Medvedev on the spot, costing him all ranking points and prize money from the event.
Medvedev was quick to apologize, calling the shot a "100 per cent accident" and saying he had not hit the ball out of anger. Djokovic, who had to save 16 of 18 break points to reach the brink of the win, called the default "a bit of a shock" and noted he had been defaulted under similar circumstances himself — at the 2020 US Open, when a ball he hit in frustration struck a line judge.
It is the second high-profile default of Djokovic's career to involve a ball striking a bystander, though this time from the other side of the net. He advances to Tuesday's final against Australia's Alex de Minaur, chasing his seventh China Open title — and 102nd overall — after a 33-0 run at the event stretching back to 2009. A Sky Sports analysis piece published afterward debated whether officials were right to end the match outright rather than issue a warning first, a question tour officials have not publicly answered. Medvedev said he hoped to apologize to the fan in person; there is no word yet on whether he will face any further sanction beyond the forfeited prize money.