BEIJING: Russian Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semi-final clash with Novak Djokovic after hitting a rebounding ball into the crowd, striking a spectator in the eye. World number five Medvedev was trailing 7-5 5-3 on Monday and had lost a point when he hit the ball coming off the wall. The spectator, who was sitting in the first row behind Medvedev, clutched his left eye and appeared to be in pain as he walked out of the gallery, assisted by stadium staff. Medvedev did not protest the umpire's decision to disqualify him. The Russian will lose his points and prize money from the tournament as a result of the default. "Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all," Medvedev told reporters." I'm trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it. Hopefully I can apologise in person and see how he feels." The 30-year-old former US Open champion said he did not cause the incident intentionally. "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 a situation." Sixth seed Djokovic said he was shocked by the incident. "I hope that person is not badly injured," said Djokovic, who was disqualified from the US Open in 2020 in similar circumstances. "On the other hand, I also feel sorry for Daniil because I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified in a big match." Both semi-finals ended prematurely in Beijing as Hubert Hurkacz retired with an adductor injury earlier in the day. Australian Alex de Minaur was leading the first semi 6-4 3-2 when his Polish opponent, who had struggled with movement throughout the match, retired. 'GRUELLING BATTLE' Djokovic's win extended his China Open record to 33 victories without a loss, extending his record of making the best start in a men's singles tournament in the Open Era. The Serbian beat French and U.S. Open champion Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals to break the record Rafael Nadal set by winning his first 31 matches at Roland Garros. Djokovic, 39, survived punishing long rallies and saved seven break points to take the first set in one hour and 19 minutes. He was serving for the match when Medvedev was disqualified. "It was a gruelling battle ... it always is a big battle with Daniil and it's so hard to play him," said Djokovic, who won the tournament all six times he played in it from 2009 to 2015 before returning to the event this year. "Another final. There's something about Beijing that just keeps me going."
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