Staff Reporter.
The US Open descended into chaos on Sunday when a photographer came onto the court as Daniil Medvedev faced match point, bringing the first-round match to a standstill and sparking a spectacular meltdown from the Russian.
Former champion Medvedev was eventually knocked out 6-3 7-5 6-7(5) 0-6 6-4 by Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, who threatened to walk off the court at one point and called for the Russian to be disqualified.
Serving for the match at 6-3 7-5 5-4, Bonzi was preparing to play his second serve when the photographer stepped onto the court surface.
The disruption led chair umpire Greg Allensworth to put Bonzi back onto his first serve, sparking an astonishing outburst from Medvedev.
“Are you a man? Are you a man? Why are you shaking?” the Russian shouted as he stormed towards the chair.
“He wants to go home, guys, he doesn’t like it here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”
Medvedev also repeatedly shouted, “What did Reilly Opelka say?” at the official in reference to the US player’s call for Allensworth to be suspended after receiving a code violation at the Dallas Open for confronting a spectator.
The match was halted for about six minutes as jeers, whistles and boos rang out around Louis Armstrong Stadium, with fans refusing to stay quiet so Bonzi could serve.
The USTA said the photographer was escorted from the court by US Open security and that his credentials had been revoked.
The chaos almost proved Medvedev’s salvation.
After fending off the match point he broke to level the set at 5-5 before edging the tiebreak to force a fourth set.
The 2021 champion looked a completely different player in the fourth set as he dished out a bagel to level the match as his rattled opponent took a medical timeout for what appeared to be a knee issue.
Boos from the crowd continued for the remainder of the match, with some fans targeting Bonzi during his service motion.
The final set was much more of a contest, with the duo exchanging multiple breaks of serve as the match wound down to a nail-biting finish.
Medvedev becomes the first former champion to exit this year’s tournament, leaving Flushing Meadows after a horrible year at the majors where he managed to get to the second round just once.
Meanwhile Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic overcame early tests to reach the U.S. Open second round before the Grand Slam descended into chaos when Medvedev launched a tirade at the match umpire and fans disrupted his opponent’s service game.