BEIJING/WASHINGTON, October 5, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
Six-time China Open champion Novak Djokovic advanced to another Beijing championship match after his semifinal opponent, World No. 5 and third seed Daniil Medvedev, was disqualified after accidentally hitting a spectator in the crowd with a ball Monday evening.
The World No. 11 Djokovic led 7-5, 5-3 (15-15) after two hours and 29 minutes, and was three points from victory when a ball that bounced off the back wall was struck by Medvedev, reacting instinctively, and went into the crowd. The ball hit a fan sitting in the front row in the eye and required immediate medical attention. Following ATP rules, chair umpire Mohammad Lahyani had no choice but to disqualify Medvedev for striking a spectator.
“A bit of a shock, to be honest,” the sixth-seeded Djokovic said during his post-match interview with ATP Media. “Sorry for the person [who got hit]. I honestly didn’t see what happened. I hope that person is not badly injured. On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil, because I know exactly how he feels to be disqualified in a big match. I was disqualified at the 2020 US Open in the similar circumstances. I am sure Daniil didn’t want to do this intentionally. It just happens.”
Not the ending we expected 😮
@DjokerNole advances to the Beijing final after Medvedev is defaulted whilst down 5-7 3-5
#ChinaOpen https://t.co/Pae5eNrJ6W
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 5, 2026
During his post-match news conference, Medvedev was contrite. “Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all,” he said. “I’m trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologize in person and see how he feels.”
Later, Medvedev added: “You can see that there is zero anger in this moment. It’s not especially frustration. I don’t hit it hard. Yeah, it hit him. I feel terribly sorry for him actually because, again, I just hope he’s okay. That’s the most important. The rest we move on. I just really care about him right now. Hopefully I can meet him and make up for it somehow.”
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The victory in back of 19 winners, which enabled Djokovic to maintain his perfect 33-0 career win-loss record in Beijing, lifted him to his first ATP 500 championship match since winning Astana in 2022. He will face No. 5 seed Alex de Minaur, who advanced by retirement over 39th-ranked Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 3-2, after 68 minutes to reach his 10th ATP 500 final. Djokovic leads his career head-to-head against de Minaur 3-1.
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Alcaraz to face Lehecka in Tokyo final
Top-seed Carlos Alcaraz rallied from a set down to beat fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships final in Tokyo on Monday.
The defending champion Alcaraz came from a set down after dropping 16 consecutive points and found his level midway through the second set against the 64th-ranked qualifier Munar in two hours and 31 minutes. He improved to 20-0 at ATP 500 level since losing the 2025 Barcelona final to Holger Rune. Now he’s through to his first ATP Tour final since Monte-Carlo and fourth of the season overall. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Munar has now lost six-straight ATP Tour semifinal matches.
The defending champion back in the Tokyo final 👊
#KinoshitaJOTennis https://t.co/A90RnAn16c
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 5, 2026
“I don’t know what happened in the first set,” Alcaraz said. “I started the match well. I was up a break and serving for the set. It seems that I’m struggling in every first set. But I’ve come back every time and I’m really happy about it.”
On Tuesday, Alcaraz will attempt to win his second-straight Tokyo title when he faces World No. 23 Jiri Lehecka, who advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over World No. 14 and eighth seed Valentin Vacherot in 68 minutes.
Into the final with finesse 🪡
Lehecka takes down Vacherot 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the final two ✌️
#KinoshitaJOTennis https://t.co/1Ccok8tCmd
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 5, 2026
By the numbers
Carlos Alcaraz has now won his last 16 matches against fellow Spaniards after defeating Jaume Munar on Monday. His last defeat to a fellow countryman came against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of Indian Wells in 2022.
“Quotable …”
“I was three points away from the win. It was a grueling battle and I definitely didn’t want to take this level to a third set. It was looking like that. I don’t know how many break points I saved; it was crazy. It’s always a big battle with Daniil and it’s so hard to play him.”
– Novak Djokovic of Serbia, during his post-match interview with ATP Media after advancing by default over Daniil Medvedev Monday evening.
