The first round match between 13-seeded Danil Medvedev and Benjamin Bonji on Sunday night at the US Open was all confused when Bonji stepped into the court prematurely when he played in the match. Suddenly, Boni’s straight set victory became a five-set thriller.
But in the end, Bonji won 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 when it appeared to be on the verge of collapse.
In the third set, Bonzi led 6-3, 7-5, 5-4, and was in the match when he missed his first serve. At that point, in a match just before closing, the photographer stepped into the arena, causing a delay.
Bonji was preparing for his second serve when the photographer entered the courtroom, so Judge Greg Allensworth awarded Bonji a redo of his first serve. It sparked Medvedev, the 2021 US Open winner, and plunged the crowd into frenzy.
Medvedev made the break even longer on a personal level by fierce discussion with the judge and literally questioning his manliness and dedication to his work. While issuing these sticks, he wasted as much time as possible in apparent attempts to lay eggs in the crowd and interrupt Boni’s momentum. Medvedev, who has an open and attitude history in the US, is in peak form in this example, with “tennis letters” performing lip reading and transcription of his diatrib with Aresworth.
Taylor Fritz also squealed in the social medals, saying he believed Allensworth’s decision was the right decision.
Boni, who hadn’t broken in the match at that point, showed obstacles on his second first serve and ultimately lost points, games and sets. And after being crushed 6-0 in the fourth set, he appeared to be on the verge of losing the match completely, as if he was dealing with a foot injury. Bonzi took medical timeouts between sets.
Medvedev broke Bonzi in the first game of the fifth set. It seemed he might cruise to one of the strangest and controversial comebacks in recent memory. Instead, Bonji found a second wind – and began playing like the crowd – breaking Medvedev and putting him on the serve. In the end, despite more antics from Medvedev, Bonji digs deep and came to the top in the decisive fifth set, closing out one of the more raucous matches in recent US open history.
While Bonji celebrated the victory, Medvedev took it out with his racket – and the US open bench.
Ah, and that photographer? According to multiple reports on the scene, he was escorted from the property by US Open Security and soon his qualification was revoked for the remainder of the event.
