The 2021 champion and 13th-seeded Daniil Medvedev (Russia) was eliminated in the first round of the US Open after losing to Benjamin Bonzi (France) by 2-3 (3:6, 5:7, 7:6(5), 6:0, 4:6) after 3:46 hours of play.
Benjamin Bonzi took the first two sets, and in the third he lead by 5:4 and served for the victory, but missed a match point and it came to a tiebreak, which Daniil Medvedev managed to win. A strong set for the Russian followed and the score was equalized, and in the decisive fifth set Daniil Medvedev twice came out with a break ahead, but allowed a reversal.
“I played badly, and in the key moments it was even worse. Everything – serve, return, volley, everything. I have to play better. I will try next year”, commented Daniil Medvedev after the match.
The Russian also got into an argument with chair umpire Gregory Allensworth shortly before the end of the third set, when Benjamin Bonzi was serving for the match at 5:4. The French tennis player missed his first match point at 40:30, when a photographer entered the courtside to take a position in the designated photojournalist area. Gregory Allensworth made a remark to him and told him to leave, and then decided to award the Frenchman a new first serve because of the short interruption. This enraged Daniil Medvedev and a 5-minute argument with the referee followed.
“Are you a man? Why are you shaking? What’s wrong?”, harshly retorted at him Daniil Medvedev, then turned to the camera. “He wants to go. He doesn’t want to be here. They pay per match, not per hour”, shouted the Russian into one of the microphones behind the referee’s chair. “What did Reilly Opelka say? What did Reilly Opelka say?”, Daniil Medvedev kept shouting, referring to a statement by his American counterpart Reilly Opelka in February this year that Gregory Allensworth was “the worst referee on the Tour”.
The Louis Armstrong crowd vociferously supported Daniil Medvedev and booed for several minutes until play resumed.
