Daniil Medvedev furious with ATP & Hawk-Eye tech in China Open loss after technical issues deny replay options
Daniil Medvedev was left furious with the ATP and the Hawk-Eye tech during his 2024 China Open semifinal match against Carlos Alcaraz. The Russian was denied the replay option due to technical issues.
Medvedev and Alcaraz faced off in the China Open semifinal on Tuesday, October 1, marking their eighth tour meeting and third match of the year. With the first set tied at 5-5 on Diamond Court, a controversial moment arose in the 11th game when Medvedev felt a point was wrongly awarded to Alcaraz.
Alcaraz went on to break Medvedev to love, taking a 6-5 lead. During the changeover, a frustrated Medvedev voiced his displeasure, criticizing the hawk-eye technology and expressing his frustration with the ATP. He was repeatedly denied the use of the technology due to some technical issues.
“Why (does) the ATP pay Hawkeye then? Hawkeye sucks, no? Don’t trust Hawkeye. Not my sponsor," he was heard ranting.
After play resumed, Alcaraz swiftly claimed the first set. In the second set, he took control by breaking Medvedev twice, in the fifth and ninth games, securing a 7-5, 6-3 victory to advance to the ATP 500 final.
Daniil Medvedev shares cheeky banter with Carlos Alcaraz after China Open 2024 QF loss
After winning the China Open semifinal against Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz now leads the head-to-head between them 6-2. The Spaniard has won all three encounters between pair this year including the Indian Wells Masters final and Wimbledon semifinal.
Alcaraz has lost nine matches this season and one of them was a shock loss against Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the US Open. After their China Open encounter, Medvedev teased Alcaraz about that loss and said he would dye his hair blonde for their next match.
"I told Carlos next match I'm going to paint my hair blond and put 'Botic' here. Maybe this can help," Medvedev said during the post-match press conference.
The Russian added that he was not confident coming into the tournament but did not see his semifinal loss as a downside. He was happy with his performance and looks forward to the upcoming 2024 Shanghai Masters.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz has the opportunity to win his fourth title this year when he faces Jannik Sinner in the final in Beijing on Wednesday, October 2.
This will be the 10th encounter between the only two ATP singles Grand Slam winners of 2024. Alcaraz currently leads the head-to-head 5-4.