Medvedev defaulted for hitting spectator with ball

During his semi-final match at the China Open, Daniil Medvedev was defaulted after striking a spectator in the face with a ball. Medvedev was trailing Novak Djokovic, the third seed, 7-5 5-3 when the incident occurred. The ball ricocheted off the back of the court and Medvedev, frustrated, struck a backhand which hit the spectator in the front row of the stand behind him.

The fan was seen holding his face and was helped out of the arena. Medvedev approached the net to shake hands with Djokovic, expressing deep regret for his actions. Djokovic, who previously faced a similar situation in 2020, expressed sympathy for both Djokovic and Medvedev. Defaults in tennis are rare and occur when players violate the sport's code of conduct, including ball abuse, physical or verbal abuse, or racquet abuse.

This was a serious enough offense to instantly disqualify Medvedev, who will lose the points and prize money earned during his run to the last four in Beijing.