Who knew the US Open could turn into a soap opera? Well, that’s the kind of drama that ensued during the match between Daniil Medvedev and Benjamin Bonzi in the first round of the tournament. Bonzi was leading with 6-3, 7-5, 5-4, and was serving for the match when a photographer in a green polo walked onto the court. And that’s when it all began. 

Bonzi, despite having the ball in his hands, refused to serve and had a heated argument with the chair umpire, Greg Allensworth. Following a delay of around six minutes, Allensworth announced that because of the delay caused by an offside interference, first serve has been granted to Bonzi. This even extracted a reaction from Taylor Fritz. He took to X and wrote, “Photographer walking on court when he’s not supposed to could’ve just changed the entire match 🤯.” 

The blame was all with the photographer. The famed tennis journalist, Ben Ruthenberg, declared that through his X post. The photographer was escorted out of the court, and the entire fanbase began firing up against him. Tik Tok Tennis shared a visual of the photographer being escorted out and captioned, “The next time you think you’ve had a bad day at work, remember…” Even Genie Bouchard took to X and wrote, “Can’t go to sleep because of this Medvedev match omgggg the drama.”

But all this drama brought on a severe demand from Bonzi. Josh Morgado posted, “Bonzi wants a time violation for Medvedev. “He is doing this. I’m not playing. I’m leaving the court.” But was it fair for the umpire to give Bonzi the first serve again? Fritz had an answer to that when a fan asked to same through a reply to his aforementioned X post. Taylor Fritz responded, “Ya he should get a first, but the call ends up backfiring and hurting him because of the pause, having to sit on a match point for 10 min and then the crowd getting super into it against you. Unless bonzi hits a huge first serve and gets a free point off the pause, then the whole thing is actually really bad for him.” 

On the other hand, Rothenberg highlighted how the entire drama could have been avoided. He pointed out that Benjamin Bonzi could have simply served. He had the ball in his hand, but chose not to continue. However, the damage was already done. In the end, the first serve turned out to be a boon for Bonzi, as he beat Medvedev with a score of 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4. 

It was nothing short of a bad day for Daniil Medvedev. And following the events of the match, he broke down in tears after failing to control his emotions. 

Daniil Medvedev’s stance on Benjamin Bonzi pausing the game due to interruption

Right after the umpire announced the first serve for Bonzi, the 13th seed lashed out. Medvedev was unable to keep his rage in check. He shouted, “Are you a man? Are you a man? Why are you shaking? What’s wrong, huh? Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.” Even the crowd continued to boo the decision until Bonzi refused to serve until the boos subsided. 

Infuriated by the drama, Medvedev dominates the 11th game of the 3rd set, and wins it following an energetic tiebreaker. He dominates the next set as well, with a perfect score, without letting his opponent score a single point. But alas! The final set went in favor of Benjamin Bonzi, setting him up as the victor. 

During the post-match interview, Medvedev thanked the crowd for the boos. That was the thing that provided him with renewed energy. He stated, “It was crazy! I may got some new fans but also some new non-fans. The energy was wild!” But losing the match took its toll and unleashed a few tears down his face. 

What are your thoughts on the drama at the match between Daniil Medvedev and Benjamin Bonzi? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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