Bonzi Upsets Medvedev in Dramatic US Open First Round
Benjamin Bonzi of France defeated defending champion Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller at the 2023 US Open, marking a stunning upset in the first round. Bonzi prevailed with a score of 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 0-6, 6-4.
The match was punctuated by a controversial incident in the third set. While Bonzi was preparing to serve for the match, Medvedev questioned the crowd’s support for his opponent, asking, “You want to see him win? … He wants to go home, guys. He doesn’t like to be here; he gets paid by the match, not by the hour.” He then actively encouraged the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd to boo.
The resulting jeers and catcalls caused a delay of over six minutes before Bonzi could resume serving. Despite the disruption, Medvedev managed to save a match point and force a third-set tie-break, wich he won to extend the match.
Bonzi appeared to struggle in the fourth set, losing 6-0, but rebounded in the fifth, overcoming two breaks of serve to ultimately break Medvedev and secure the victory.
“It was crazy. I may have got some new fans but also some new non-fans,” Bonzi saeid after the match. “The energy was wild. Thanks to all those who were booing that gave me energy in the fifth.”
Bonzi admitted the incident affected his composure. ”I never experienced something like that.Maybe we wait five minutes before the match point, and it was so difficult to play,” he said. “I tried to stay calm and stay in the match, but it was not easy.”
Medvedev visibly expressed his frustration after the defeat, smashing his racquet. The loss makes him the first former champion to be eliminated from this year’s tournament. It continues a disappointing Grand Slam season for Medvedev, who had previously only reached the second round once.
This incident echoes a similar situation in 2019 on the same court, where Medvedev faced boos from the crowd and afterward taunted them in his post-match interview, claiming the jeers fueled his performance. In that match, he received a code violation for snatching a towel from a ball person and was fined $9,000 for throwing his racket towards the umpire and making an obscene gesture.
