Medvedev ousted at Cincinnati Open after code violation and court incident

World No. 7 Daniil Medvedev was eliminated from the Cincinnati Open in the third round on 17 August after suffering a three-set defeat to wild card entry Brandon Nakashima. The match, which lasted nearly three hours, concluded with a scoreline of 6-7, 7-6, 6-1.

Following the loss, Medvedev engaged in a dispute with the umpire that resulted in a code violation. During the incident, he damaged a pair of advertising boards and knocked over microphones. Social media footage indicated the player was 0-3 on match points and 1-11 on break points during the contest.

Nakashima, seeded 27th, secured the victory at the Lindner Tennis Center in Mason. The win marks a significant upset for the wild card player against one of the tournament’s top seeds.

The incident occurred just one day after Medvedev threw out the first pitch for the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Medvedev, who holds a strong connection to the local team, was gifted a Reds jersey at Wimbledon by Bob Moran, President of Beemok Sports & Entertainment and Cincinnati Open Tournament Director.

When asked about his baseball abilities earlier in the week, Medvedev told The Enquirer’s Shelby Dermer that he lacked confidence in his coordination for pitching. He noted that baseball is not played in Russia and suggested he might have better luck hitting, though he admitted uncertainty about his overall skills.

Social media commentary from Barstool Tennis suggested that one of the advertising boards had previously struck Medvedev in the head during the match, providing context to the on-court frustration. The specific cause of the board hitting the player was not included in official match reports.

Medvedev’s exit ends his campaign at the Cincinnati Open, where he had entered as a top seed. The tournament continues with Nakashima advancing to the next stage of the competition.