World No. 13 Daniil Medvedev was at the centre of controversy during his first-round match at the US Open. The Russian was facing Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi when tempers flared and order on court collapsed.
With Bonzi leading by two sets and holding match point in the third, an unexpected intrusion occurred as a photographer ran onto the court. The umpire halted play, ruling that Bonzi must resume with a first serve under official regulations.
Full video of the Medvedev-Bonzi-umpire-photographer drama that COMPLETELY changed the match.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 25, 2025
Gotta feel for… Benjamin. Had to stand for 6 minutes before serving on match point while the stadium turned into a circus. A mess. pic.twitter.com/wkEz3B4K6B
Medvedev, long regarded as a fiery character on court, challenged the decision and clashed with the umpire, which roused the New York crowd. The spectators began booing both the umpire and Bonzi while chanting «second serve». The protest delayed play for nearly six minutes, preventing Bonzi from serving.
Frustrated, Bonzi demanded a penalty for Medvedev and threatened to stop playing under such conditions. When play resumed, he squandered his match point, dropped his service game, and ultimately lost the third set in a tiebreak.
Despite the dramatic turn, Bonzi regained composure and stunned Medvedev in a five-set thriller. The Frenchman, ranked 51st in the ATP standings, claimed victory with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 0-6, 6-4.
Daniil Medvedev smashed his racket after his first-round loss at the US Open. pic.twitter.com/HJtQAYcfHA
— ESPN (@espn) August 25, 2025
Statistically, Daniil Medvedev struck 21 aces but also committed 10 double faults. He converted only six of his 19 break point opportunities, falling short against his lower-ranked opponent.
Kursiv also reports that Marseille have confirmed that Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe have been placed on the transfer list following what the club described as «unacceptable behaviour» in the dressing room.
