Daniil Medvedev disqualified from China Open semi after hitting fan with ball

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 ‌No 5 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, clutched his left eye and appeared to be in pain as he walked out of the gallery, assisted by stadium ‌staff.Daniil Medvedev is disqualified from the match. Photograph: Jessica Lee/EPA“I was shocked, to be honest … I hope that person is not badly injured,” said the sixth seed ​Djokovic, who was disqualified from the US Open in 2020 under 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 … I’m sure that ​Daniil didn’t ​want to do this intentionally.”Both ​semi-finals ended prematurely in Beijing as Hubert ​Hurkacz retired with ‌an adductor ​injury earlier ​on Monday. 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.Quick GuideHow do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?ShowIn the Guardian app, tap the Profile settings button at the top right, then select Notifications. Turn on sport notifications.If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.If you don't have the Guardian app, download it from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'. More details soon …