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Daniil Medvedev has been defaulted from his China Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic after hitting a fan in the crowd with the ball.
The Russian player was down 7-5, 5-3 with Djokovic serving for the match at 15-15, when world No 5 Medvedev failed to reach a Djokovic winner.
The ball then rebounded off the backboard and Medvedev hit the ball into the face of a fan sitting in the front row, who clutched his eye in pain and was taken away from the court.
Chair umpire Mohammed Lahyani, after discussion with an ATP official, then defaulted 30-year-old Medvedev, in scenes not dissimilar to Novak Djokovic’s disqualification from the 2020 US Open – when the Serb hit a line umpire with the ball.
"It's a bit of a shock to be honest, I hope that person is not badly injured," 24-time major winner Djokovic said.
"I also feel sorry for Daniil. I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match. I am sure that Daniil did not want to do this intentionally."
It is not Medvedev’s first disciplinary mishap in recent times. Last year, he was fined £31,500 after a meltdown at the US Open when a photographer walked onto the court, while in April 2026 he was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct after smashing his racket in a 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Matteo Berrettini in Monte-Carlo.
Yet this default handed Djokovic a place in the final in Bejing, where he will face Australian No 1 Alex de Minaur on Tuesday.