Medvedev advances at Shanghai in his first match since his China Open disqualification

Shanghai (AP) — Daniil Medvedev secured his maiden victory since being disqualified at the China Open, following a clash with a spectator in the eye via a ball he struck into the stands. Medvedev emerged triumphant against Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a second-round contest on Saturday at the Shanghai Masters, an ATP 1000 tennis tournament.

Now holding a 10-2 record against Struff, the Russian player was penalized during his semifinal defeat to Novak Djokovic on Monday for the same incident. Medvedev had forfeited the $285,000 prize money he would have earned for advancing to the semifinals in Beijing. This marked the Russian's first appearance since the disqualification.

In the event's 96-player field, the top 32 seeds earned first-round automatic entries. Other early second-round fixtures on Saturday included Camilo Ugo Carabelli facing fifth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, and second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, a Japan Open winner last week, set to clash with Juan Manuel Cerundolo in a night match. Meanwhile, No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Shanghai event this week, citing an injury to his right knee that forced him to take the remainder of 2026 off.