Daniil Medvedev has been defaulted from his China Open semi-final match against Novak Djokovic after hitting a fan in the crowd with a ball. The incident took place on Monday when the Russian player, world No 5, was trailing 7-5, 5-3, with Djokovic serving for the match.
After Medvedev failed to reach a Djokovic winner, the ball rebounded off the backboard, and he then hit it into the face of a fan in the front row. The fan clutched their eye in pain and was subsequently taken away from the court.
Chair umpire Mohammed Lahyani, following a discussion with an ATP official, defaulted the 30-year-old Medvedev. Novak Djokovic, a 24-time major winner, commented, "It's a bit of a shock to be honest, I hope that person is not badly injured." He added, "I also feel sorry for Daniil. I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match. I am sure that Daniil did not want to do this intentionally."
This default means Djokovic will proceed to the final in Beijing, where he is scheduled to play against Australian No 1 Alex de Minaur on Tuesday.