By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, October 5, 2026
Photo credit: Screen Shot
Staggered to his knees at times, Novak Djokovic rose to stirring levels—and into his seventh Beijing final—as Daniil Medvedev hit himself out of the tournament.
A determined Djokovic led 7-5, 5-3 when Medvedev was disqualified after hitting a stray ball toward the back wall that hit a fan in the face.
The 39-year-old Serbian superstar improved to a perfect 33-0 at the China Open—and returns to the Top 10 in the process.
Djokovic battled into his his 146th tour-level final, tying Ivan Lendl for third-most finals among men in Open Era. It is his first final since the Australian Open in January.
“Definitely shocking ending of the match. I didn’t see what happened. As soon as I made the winner, I turned around and went for the towel,” Djokovic told the media in Beijing. “There was a person that was obviously, yeah, injured or not feeling good. I don’t know the severity of the injury. I hope it’s nothing serious.
“I’m also feeling sorry for Daniil because I know the feeling. 2020 US Open for similar circumstances I was also disqualified. It’s horrible because I’m sure that Daniil didn’t have the intention of injuring anybody in the stands, but it happens.”
The Grand Slam king had just tied the game, 15-All, when Medvedev backhanded the ball toward the wall hitting the fan in the face. The fan was slumped over in his front row seat clutching his left eye after absorbing the ball blow.
Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani consulted with Medvedev and the tournament supervisor in the corner of the court before the supervisor disqualified Medvedev and waved Djokovic to net for the handshake. Medvedev did not protest the decision.
🚨The moment when Medvedev got disqualified at the @ChinaOpen. https://t.co/5GllzQvZsG
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 5, 2026
“Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all. I’m trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it,” Medvedev told the media in Beijing afterward. “Hopefully I can apologize in person and see how he feels.
“I mean, 100% accident. You can see that I didn’t hit the ball in anger. Actually I do a lot of bad things, but usually ball abuse is not my thing.
“The ball was bouncing back, so I tried to, like, just hit it anywhere, so it doesn’t go out from the court.
When I saw the result, I mean, I felt horrible because, again, I don’t think I was ever close to such situation. The most important, I hope that he’s okay ’cause you never know with these types of situations.”
It was a bizarre and painful ending to a two shot-making spectacle that grew spicy at times. Djokovic was draining the serve clock from the start of the match, prompting Medvedev to seemingly mock the Serbian’s drained demeanor between points only to excel when the ball was in play by hobbling around the court. Djokovic eventually lost a first serve after two time violations and had to hit a second serve down break point.
Later on, Medvedev played the medical time-out card after surrendering serve to fall behind 2-4 in the second set.
Despite the drama between points, this was truly a crackling contest of between Grand Slam champions with an ending that may well have prompted flashbacks for Djokovic, who was bounced out of the 2020 US Open after inadvertently hitting a lineswoman in the throat with a stray ball he tried to fire off the back wall.
Medvedev played party pooper denying Djokovic the calendar Grand Slam in the 2021 US Open final, but today Djokovic celebrated his staying power.
“You are the master!” a Beijing fan screamed to Djokovic midway through the opening set tonight.
Olympic gold-medal champion Djokovic will play for a 102nd career title facing Aussie Alex de Minaur in the Beijing final.
Earlier, de Minaur led Hubert Hurkacz, 6-4, 3-2 when the 29-year-old Hurkacz retired with an apparent adductor issue.
The fifth-seeded de Minaur improved to 4-1 vs. Hurkacz reaching his 22nd career Tour-level final. Rotterdam champion de Minaur carries a 40-18 record in 2026 into the final as he plays for a 12th title.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been surprised by what Novak can bring to the court, right?” de Minaur told the media in Beijing. “We as tennis players have seen what he’s been able to do for basically his whole career. It is amazing to watch.
“Yesterday was just another one of those matches where he played at an extremely high level. It was great to watch as a fan of the sport. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Ultimately that’s what tennis wants, right? We want everyone at their best.”
Streaks collided in the second semifinal: Djokovic was unbeaten in Beijing, while Hangzhou champion Medvedev rode a seven-match winning streak into this rematch of the 2021 and 2023 US Open finals.
In a physically punishing fifth game, Djokovic denied three more break points, but an unrelenting Medvedev just kept firing with depth and precision.
The Grand Slam king was gulping deep breaths of air after some draining 20-plus shot rallies. Even elite champions would be seriously winded at the challenge of trying to take down another 6’6” major champion for the second straight day.
Across the net, Medvedev looked fresh and eager.
In a game that saw Djokovic spit up two double faults and botch a couple of drop shots, Medvedev converted his seventh break point of the set. Running backward for a terrific forehand get, Medvedev belted a backhand down the line for 3-2.
The sixth seed took a Love-30 lead in the sixth game only to see Medvedev answer with a forehand drive volley and second ace. Djokovic gained break point, but sent a return long prompting some chattering frustration toward his coach Viktor Troicki and team.
Taking his frustration out on the fuzzy yellow ball, Djokovic belted a diagonal forehand for a third break point. Attacking behind a deep drive, Djokovic finally exhaled when Medvedev’s pass expired into the top of the tape.
The six-time champion broke back to level after six grueling games that spanned 43 minutes and elicited a chorus of oohs and aahs from Beijing fans making the packed crowd sound like rollercoaster riders.
Djokovic stamped his first love hold for a 4-3 lead. Tested to deuce, Medvedev responded with a serve winner and ace out wide evening after eight games.
Extended exchanges left Djokovic, who had received a soft warning from chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani for flirting with serve clock violations, hunched over in recovery at times. Djokovic lunged for a slick stab drop volley winner and withstood an inevitable time violation warning surviving a near 10-and-a-half minute hold for 5-4.
Staring down set point, Medvedev saved it, sliding the wide serve in setting up a finishing forehand. Medvedev threw down heavy serves to draw even after 70 minutes.
Jerking the lanky Russian corner to corner, Djokovic measured a forehand from his backhand corner and slammed it down the line for three more set points in the 12th game.
In the excellent exchange that ensued both men were making incisive drives on the run. Then Medvedev opted for the drop shot, Djokovic ran it down and angled a low backhand crosscourt. The line was open, but Medvedev netted his pass.
Showing his stamina in an exhausting one hour, 19-minute set, Djokovic saved seven of eight break points. Medvedev won only 5 of 15 points played on his second serve, dropping a set for the first time in the tournament.
Both men left the court for a clothing change. Medvedev erased a break point with an ace, won a lung-busting 27-shot rally and fired a forehand winner in a tricky hold to start the second set.
Medvedev ratcheted up the pressure earning five break points in the third game. Djokovic fended off all five—by then he’d saved 12 of 13 break points—but Medvedev hit a backhand pass for a sixth break point. Unleashing ballistic drives, Djokovic denied that too. Staving off all six break points in a stirring stand that spanned about 12 minutes, Djokovic held for 2-1 then crumpled into his court-side seat looking like a boxer who had already gone 10 rounds.
Staring down break point again, Djokovic incurred another time violation warning—a correct call by chair umpire Lahyani—resulting in a loss of serve. The Serbian saved it and later slid an ace down the T erasing the 15th of 16 break points he faced to that point.
A depleted Djokovic denied all eight break points in the second set edging ahead, 3-2.
Energized, Djokovic drilled a deep return for a second break point in the sixth game. Challenging the Russian’s forehand, just as he did against US Open champion Alexander Zverev at crunch time of the quarterfinals, Djokovic drew an errant forehand to break for 4-2.
Then, the physio came out to treat Medvedev for a right shoulder injury. The physio rubbed cream into the Russian’s sore shoulder during a three-minute medical time out.
After about a four-minute break, play resumed and Medvedev leaned low lacing a backhand strike down the line to break back in the seventh game.
Just when the third seed seemingly had all the momentum, Medvedev played a horrid, error-filled game to gift the break right back. The third straight break gave Djokovic a 5-3 lead as he served for the final after two hours, 22 minutes of frenetic play.
A fan in the front row behind the baseline was hit in the left eye when Medvedev flicked ball toward the back wall and it seemed to strike the fan.
That fan was slumped over in his seat for a few moments before security and a fellow fan helped him walk out while he continuously clutched his left eye.
Chair umpire Lahyani walked to the corner of the court to consult Medvedev. The supervisor came out, discussed the issue with Layhani and Medvedev was disqualified in an abrupt end to a brilliant battle.
“Was tough match for me. He played really well,” Medvedev said. “I felt like he played like when we played the best matches. I had some opportunities, which I missed.
“Yeah, he played incredible. So I think he has big chances in the final.”
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