{
  "id": 12184064,
  "title": "Medvedev disqualified from China Open after spectator injured",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/medvedev-disqualified-from-china-open-after-spectator-injured",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-05T15:47:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/medvedev-disqualified-from-china-open-semi-after-injuring-spectator-with-ball/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from the China Open on Monday following an incident during his semi-final match against world number one Novak Djokovic. The incident occurred when Medvedev hit a rebounding ball into the crowd, striking a spectator in the eye. The spectator, sitting in the first row behind Medvedev, appeared to be in severe pain and was assisted off the court by stadium staff. Medvedev, who was trailing 7-5 5-3 at the time, did not protest the umpire's decision to disqualify him. He expressed deep regret for the incident, stating that he did not intend to cause harm and felt terrible about the situation. Djokovic, who was also shocked by the incident, expressed sympathy for Medvedev and the spectator alike. Both semi-finals were called off prematurely due to other players withdrawing from the matches. Djokovic's win extended his winning streak at the China Open to 33 consecutive matches, the longest in men's singles tournament history since the Open Era began.",
  "summary": "World number five Medvedev was trailing 7-5 5-3 on Monday and had lost a point.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/12184064.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "Medvedev disqualified from China Open semi after hitting ball into crowd",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/medvedev-disqualified-from-china-open-semi-after-hitting-ball-into",
        "published": "2026-10-05T14:39:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Medvedev disqualified from China Open semi after hitting ball into crowd",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/medvedev-disqualified-from-china-open-semi-after-hitting-ball-into-12178271",
        "published": "2026-10-05T14:45:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Medvedev disqualified from China Open for hitting spectator with a ball during match vs. Djokovic",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/medvedev-disqualified-from-china-open-for-hitting-spectator-with-a",
        "published": "2026-10-05T14:52:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "Medvedev disqualified after hitting spectator with ball; Djokovic ‘shocked’ - Watch",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/medvedev-disqualified-after-hitting-spectator-with-ball-djokovic",
        "published": "2026-10-05T15:02:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Sky News",
        "title": "Medvedev disqualified after hitting spectator with ball during Djokovic match",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/medvedev-disqualified-after-hitting-spectator-with-ball-during",
        "published": "2026-10-05T15:19:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Medvedev disqualified from China Open for hitting fan with a ball",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/medvedev-disqualified-from-china-open-for-hitting-fan-with-a-ball",
        "published": "2026-10-05T16:17:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Press Journal",
        "title": "Novak Djokovic Reaches China Open Final After Daniil Medvedev Defaulted For Ball Hitting Spectator",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/novak-djokovic-reaches-china-open-final-after-daniil-medvedev",
        "published": "2026-10-05T16:33:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}