A flash of temper costs Medvedev the semi-final
Novak Djokovic will play the final of the Beijing ATP 500. The 11th-ranked Serbian booked his place on Monday without having to finish the match: fifth-ranked Daniil Medvedev was disqualified late in the second set.
Djokovic was leading 7-5, 5-3 and 15-15 in a contest played at a very high level up to that point. Frustrated, the Russian hit a ball that had bounced off the advertising boards behind the baseline back toward spectators seated behind him. Moments later, the chair umpire handed down his disqualification.
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A first final since January
The result gives Djokovic his first final since the Australian Open in January. He arrived in Beijing with a perfect record at the event, 32 straight wins, the latest against Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals (4-6, 6-4, 6-4).
At 39, the Serbian is chasing the 102nd title of his career on Tuesday. He will face Australia’s Alex de Minaur, ranked ninth, in a final that looks more open than a clash with Medvedev would have been, but which gives him one more chance to extend his Beijing run.
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