Medvedev progresses in Shanghai in his first outing since being disqualified at the China Open

Daniil Medvedev has won his first match since being disqualified at the China Open for hitting a spectator in the eye with a ball he hit into the stands.

Medvedev beat Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a second-round match on Saturday at the Shanghai Masters, an ATP 1000 tennis event. The fifth-seeded Medvedev now holds a 10-2 career edge over Struff.

Disqualification in Beijing

Medvedev was disqualified during his semifinal loss on Monday to Novak Djokovic for hitting the spectator with a ball the Russian had struck into the stands at Beijing. He apologised after the incident, saying it was an accident. The disqualification cost him the US$285,000 prize money he would have received for reaching the semifinals in Beijing.

This was Medvedev’s first match since the disqualification. In the 96-player Shanghai field, the top 32 seeds receive first-round byes.

Other early second-round results

In other early second-round matches on Saturday, fourth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli 4-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5.

Second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, who won last week’s Japan Open, was scheduled to play Juan Manuel Cerundolo in a night match in Shanghai.

Sinner withdraws

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from Shanghai this week when he announced he was taking the rest of 2026 off due to a right knee injury.