Drama unfolded at the US Open on Sunday as a rogue photographer caused a stunning disruption during match point in Daniil Medvedev’s five-set loss to France’s Benjamin Bonzi. Just as Bonzi prepared to serve for the match, the photographer walked onto the court, halting play and sparking a furious outburst from Medvedev. Chair umpire Greg Allensworth called for a replay of the point, granting Bonzi a fresh first serve. Medvedev erupted, storming to the chair and shouting, “Are you a man? Why are you shaking?” The Russian accused the umpire of favouring Bonzi and mocked him for wanting to go home early.
Medvedev didn’t hold back. He repeatedly referenced American player Reilly Opelka’s past complaints about the same official, yelling, “What did Reilly Opelka say?” at Allensworth. The match paused for nearly six minutes as fans inside Louis Armstrong Stadium booed, whistled, and jeered. Security escorted the photographer out, and the USTA later confirmed that the person had their credentials revoked.
The disruption seemed to re-energize Medvedev. He saved match point, broke Bonzi, and took the third set in a tiebreak. The fourth set saw the Russian dominate 6-0 as Bonzi took a medical timeout for a knee issue. The crowd remained hostile, booing the Frenchman on serve. But Bonzi regained composure in the fifth, sealing the win 6-4 in a match that lasted over four hours.
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After the match, Bonzi addressed the chaos: “It was crazy. I may have got some new fans, and some new non-fans. The energy was insane. We waited five minutes before match point. I have never felt anything like it.”
The Frenchman, ranked World No. 51, now holds a perfect 3-0 Grand Slam record against Medvedev.
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