Djokovic reaches a seventh Beijing final after Medvedev's default and meets de Minaur

Novak Djokovic is in the China Open final because Daniil Medvedev was defaulted on Monday with the score at 7-5, 5-3. Djokovic was serving at 15-15. A ball came off the back wall, Medvedev hit it into the front row, and it struck a spectator in the left eye. The default ended the match after 2 hours 29 minutes and sent Djokovic through to his seventh Beijing final. He plays Alex de Minaur on Tuesday.

The ATP's note of the match put Djokovic's Beijing record at 33-0 once the default was entered. He had been 32-0 before the semi-final. This is his first ATP 500 final since he won Astana in 2022. He leads de Minaur 3-1 in their head-to-head. De Minaur did not finish his own semi-final. Hubert Hurkacz retired with the Australian ahead 6-4, 3-2.

What Djokovic said courtside

"A bit of a shock, to be honest," Djokovic said. "Sorry for the person. I honestly didn't see what happened. I hope that person is not badly injured." He added that he felt sorry for Medvedev, "because I know exactly what it feels to be DQ in a match for this." The reference is his own default at the 2020 US Open, when a ball he hit struck a line judge. He has now stood on both sides of the rule: the player sent off, and the player handed a final.

The point of the rule is narrow. A ball struck into the stands that hits a spectator is a default, not a code violation that can be walked back. Medvedev loses the match, the points and the prize money from the tournament. Djokovic takes the win without closing the set. He was serving for it. He did not get to serve it out. The record books will show a default, not a 7-5, 6-3.

The two hours before the ball

Before the default, the semi-final had been a match. Medvedev, who won Hangzhou last week and was chasing an eighth straight tour win, broke early. Djokovic took the first set 7-5 after being a break down. The second set reached 5-3 on the Djokovic serve. Two hours and 29 minutes had gone by. The spectator was helped from the front row with a hand over the left eye. No medical update had been published by the time Djokovic spoke.

De Minaur's path is the other half of Tuesday's card. Hurkacz retired in the first semi-final at 6-4, 3-2. A retirement and a default put both finalists through without a completed semi-final. That is unusual at an ATP 500, and it leaves both men short of match play before a final. Djokovic at least had two hours on court. De Minaur had a set and three games.

The final, and the record it sits on

Tuesday's match is for the trophy Djokovic has won six times in Beijing. A win would be a seventh title and would push the unbeaten run past 33-0. A loss would be his first defeat at the tournament. De Minaur, seeded fifth, arrives with a 3-1 deficit in the head-to-head and with a retirement behind him rather than a win in three sets.

The default also fixes Medvedev's week. He came in on a seven-match tour streak, took the first semi-final lead, and left without points or pay. The spectator's injury is the fact the tournament has not closed. Djokovic said he hoped the person was not badly hurt. Until the tournament or the hospital says otherwise, that is all the public record holds.

The open question for Tuesday is how much of Monday's unfinished set carries over. Djokovic has been here before, as the player defaulted. He said so. De Minaur has a final against a six-time champion who did not have to serve out the match that put him there.