Novak Djokovic advanced to the final of the China Open in Beijing after a semifinal that ended unexpectedly. Daniil Medvedev was disqualified when the Serbian dominated the match 7-5, 5-3 and 15-15, after throwing a ball into the stands that ended up hitting a spectator.
The match between Djokovic and Medvedev, one of the great attractions of the ATP 500 in Beijing, had an unusual outcome this Monday. The Russian tennis player was eliminated by disqualification when he was one break away from forcing a closer finish.
Djokovic had won the first set 7-5 after an intense battle of one hour and 19 minutes. The Serbian managed to make a difference in the important moments and managed to save 16 of the 18 break opportunities that Medvedev had.
In the second set, Djokovic took the advantage again and went 5-3, after having achieved two breaks. The Russian needed to react to stay alive in the match, but everything ended abruptly.
Medvedev threw a ball into the stands
In his frustration, Medvedev hit a ball into the stands. The launch ended up hitting a spectator located in the first rows, who had to be treated and later removed from the area.
The incident prompted the intervention of the chair umpire and Medvedev ended up being disqualified from the match. In this way, Djokovic was officially the winner with a score of 7-5, 5-3 and 15-15, when the match was stopped.
The disqualification prevented the semifinal from reaching its usual sporting outcome, although Djokovic had managed to put himself in a favorable position after more than two hours of play.
Djokovic seeks another title in Beijing
The victory keeps the Serbian undefeated in the China Open. Djokovic came to the tournament with six titles under his belt in Beijing and, after beating Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals and Medvedev in the semifinals, he will play the championship match again.
Before facing Medvedev, Djokovic had defeated Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, in a comeback that allowed him to extend his streak of consecutive victories in the tournament to 32.
With the victory against Medvedev, the Serbian reaches his seventh final at the China Open and keeps open the possibility of winning his seventh title in the Chinese capital.
His rival in the final will be Alex de Minaur, who qualified after the retirement of Hubert Hurkacz in the other semi-final. Djokovic will also seek what could be the 102nd title of his career.
The duel against Medvedev also represented the first meeting between the two since the 2023 US Open final, when Djokovic won one of his 24 Grand Slam titles. The Russian had arrived in Beijing after defeating Francisco Cerúndolo 7-6(4) and 6-3 and reaching the semifinals of the tournament for the fourth time.
