A ball struck by Daniil Medvedev during his China Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic hit a spectator in the stands, leading officials to remove Medvedev from the match. The spectator left the arena with one hand pressed over his left eye. Medvedev told reporters he felt genuine regret about the incident, adding that he hoped the man was unharmed and that he would look for a way to make amends if they were able to meet.

The ball entered the stands while Medvedev was trailing Djokovic 5-3 in the second set, with Djokovic a game away from closing out the match at 7-5. A forehand volley winner from Djokovic had sent the ball bouncing off the advertising boards in Medvedev's direction, at which point Medvedev's backhand return flew into the front rows of the crowd. Medvedev later attributed the contact to accident, pointing out that nothing in his posture or movement at the time indicated deliberate intent.

Medvedev noted that the ball was travelling back toward him and his only aim was to redirect it to keep the rally alive, and that striking the spectator was never his intent. He remained on the court after the ruling. The chair umpire and tournament supervisor came down to speak with him about the disqualification, and Medvedev afterwards told reporters that seeing the outcome had left him feeling terrible, adding that his primary concern was for the spectator's wellbeing given the unpredictable nature of such incidents.

At the net, Medvedev extended his hand toward Djokovic to close out the match. The incident drew comparisons to the 2020 US Open, when a ball struck by Djokovic travelled into a line judge's throat, resulting in his disqualification from that tournament. Djokovic said the incident caught him off guard and that he had no awareness of what had taken place at the time it occurred.

The spectator's condition following the incident remained a point of concern. Djokovic also expressed sympathy for Medvedev's situation, citing a personal familiarity with the experience of being disqualified during a high-profile match, and said he saw no indication that any deliberate intent lay behind Medvedev's actions.

Medvedev has faced disciplinary attention in the past for conduct during matches. In April, a fine of 6,000 euros was issued following an episode at the Monte Carlo Masters in which his racket struck the court surface on seven separate occasions during a match that ended in defeat to Matteo Berrettini, with tournament officials determining the behaviour fell outside the bounds of acceptable conduct.

Djokovic's record at the China Open stands at 33 wins from 33 appearances, with the Serbian player yet to drop a match at the event. He advances to the China Open final, where he faces Alex de Minaur, ranked ninth in the world, with the opportunity to claim a seventh title at the tournament.

De Minaur reached the final after Hubert Hurkacz withdrew from their semifinal partway into the second set with what appeared to be an injury, with De Minaur holding a 6-4, 3-2 advantage at the time. Hurkacz's movement had been visibly restricted throughout the second set. Details about the extent of his injury had yet to be disclosed.

The China Open final represents Djokovic's second final-round appearance of the calendar year, following a runner-up finish at the Australian Open, where Carlos Alcaraz claimed victory. Currently ranked 11th, Djokovic enters the tournament outside the top ten for the first time in eight years. The appearance also marks his return to competition following a first-round exit at the US Open.

Advancing to the semifinal, the 39-year-old knocked out top-seeded Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. Two time-violation calls on the serve clock were issued to Djokovic during his match with Medvedev. A code violation had already been issued when his opening delivery on a break-point opportunity midway through the second set was taken away, though he converted the point regardless.

Across a match that stretched beyond two and a half hours, Medvedev converted just two of 18 break-point opportunities as both players sustained long baseline exchanges throughout. Medvedev afterwards acknowledged that his opponent had performed at a high level in what had been a demanding contest. He described Djokovic as having performed at the level the team had reached during its strongest outings, and said that several openings had presented themselves without being converted.

Djokovic said he had performed at a high level and held a favourable position in the match, adding that contests against Medvedev are consistently demanding — particularly when his opponent is striking the ball cleanly on slower surfaces and backing it up with a strong serve.

In the women's draw, Coco Gauff advanced to the fourth round, defeating Sun Xinran — a 16-year-old wild card from China — by scores of 7-5 and 6-1. Sun had recently claimed a junior title at the US Open. Iga Swiatek, a holder of six Grand Slam titles, came through a three-set contest against Donna Vekic — dropping the opener 4-6 before taking the second on a tiebreak 7-6 (0) and pulling away in the third 6-2 — to set up a meeting with Iva Jovic, who advanced past Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 7-5. Elina Svitolina defeated Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5.