Novak Djokovic advanced to the China Open final on Monday after Daniil Medvedev was disqualified late in the second set, when a ball that came off the Russian’s racquet hit a spectator. Eleventh-ranked Djokovic will play world number nine Alex de Minaur for the title Tuesday in Beijing. A man sitting in the stands behind Medvedev’s side of the court was seen holding his face and escorted from his seat after being hit, as Djokovic was serving for the match with the score at 7-5, 5-3. The Australian had advanced over Hubert Hurkacz after the 29-year-old from Poland retired from their semi-final with an adductor muscle strain.
Novak Djokovic advanced to the China Open final on Monday after Daniil Medvedev was disqualified late in the second set, when a ball that came off the Russian’s racquet hit a spectator.
Medvedev’s disqualification arose from a moment deep in the match. When he failed to return a point, the ball bounced off the back wall and Medvedev hit it with a backhand up into the stands, with the chair umpire stopping play. The 39-year-old put on a dazzling performance and saved 16 break points across the match, diving at the baseline and sprinting to the net.
“Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all,” he told reporters afterwards, adding it was “100 percent an accident” and that he wished to apologise to the fan in person. “The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to, like, just hit it anywhere, so it doesn’t go out from the court,” he said. he said victory wouldn’t have come easy and that he got “lucky” in a “very exhausting” battle Although Djokovic was three points away from winning the match.
China’s Zheng Qinwen was tested by Marie Bouzkova, enduring her third three-setter of the tournament to beat the Czech player 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-5.
