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Novak Djokovic advanced to the China Open final on Monday after Daniil Medvedev was defaulted for hitting a spectator with a ball during their semifinal in Beijing.
Djokovic led 7-5, 5-3 when the incident occurred. After losing a point, Medvedev struck a ball that had rebounded from the back wall and sent it into the stands. The ball hit a spectator in the front row in the eye. The spectator was helped out of the stands before Medvedev was defaulted.
Djokovic said he was "shocked" by the decision and expressed sympathy for both the spectator and Medvedev.
"I also feel sorry for Daniil. I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match," said Djokovic, who was himself defaulted from the 2020 US Open after accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball.
The result extended the 39-year-old Serbian's perfect China Open record to 33-0 and sent him into his seventh final in Beijing.
Djokovic will face Alex de Minaur in Tuesday's final. The Australian advanced when Hubert Hurkacz retired with an adductor injury while trailing 6-4, 3-2.
In the women's draw, eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek beat Croatia's Donna Vekic 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 6-2 to move into the last 16.
Vekic, the 30th seed, won the opening set and led 5-2 in the second, serving for the match twice. Swiatek broke twice to level at 5-5, then won the tiebreak without dropping a point to force a deciding set.
Swiatek took control in the third set and completed the comeback in two hours and 40 minutes.
"I was just angry, wanted to change something, because clearly it wasn't working," Swiatek said after the match.
The Pole, the 2023 China Open champion, will face American Iva Jovic for a place in the quarterfinals.
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