There has been plenty of anticipation for Daniil Medvedev’s match against Novak Djokovic at the Beijing Open on Monday. They were thought to be two of the greatest players in one encounter, most exciting to the point, much to the delight of the spectators.
But that match ended earlier than expected after Medvedev, in which it seemed to be a frustration, the ball stands. The ball hits a fan in the face, causing Medvedev to become discredited.
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Play was stopped after Medvedev stopped the ball, with officials trying to figure out what had happened. While the announcers were initially unsure of the event, they noticed a fan with his head down in the first row.
Watching the report, the announcers speculated whether Medvedev was trying to stop the ball from going into the crowd on the side of the court or whether he would hit the ball in anger.
However, Medvedev’s intentions were pushed back from the competition.
Djokovic was leading 7-5, 5-3 at the time of the disqualification. With the win, Djokovic advanced to the final in the event, where he will face Alex de Minaur on Tuesday.
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The setback comes at a miserable time for Medvedev, who entered Monday on a seven-match winning streak. Because of the rejection, Medvedev will lose the points he earned at the Beijing Open and the prize money.
Djokovic’s 33-0 win at the Beijing Open makes it his career. While Medvedev was a tough opponent, that streak was not in much danger, as Djokovic was incapacitated for the duration of the match with Medvedev. We use the best-of-three format for Beijing Open matches.