Benjamin Bonzi produced a sensational upset at the US Open late Sunday, defeating former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in a dramatic five-set battle: 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 0-6, 6-4. The victory marked Bonzi’s third career win over the Russian star and handed Medvedev his second straight first-round Grand Slam exit.
The match turned chaotic in the third set when a cameraman walked onto the court while Bonzi was serving at 5-4. The disruption forced the umpire to replay the serve, which infuriated Medvedev. The Russian lashed out at the officials, grabbed the microphone to say he “wanted to go home,” and whipped up boos from the crowd. Play was halted for nearly five minutes.
Medvedev regrouped, stealing the third set in a tiebreak before dominating the fourth 6-0 to level the match. However, Bonzi regained composure in the decider, breaking early and closing out the contest more than 90 minutes after he first came within a point of victory.
In frustration, Medvedev smashed his racquet repeatedly on the bench after the loss, drawing further jeers from the crowd.
The defeat caps a miserable Grand Slam season for Medvedev, who has managed just one match win across all four majors this year, a sharp decline from reaching the US Open quarterfinals in 2024.
With the triumph, Bonzi advances to face Marcos Giron in the next round.
