The first-ever Sunday start at the US Open delivered its share of thrilling matches but there were some spills along the way via the chair umpire and a photographer for Daniil Medvedev and Benjamin Bonzi’s first round clash.
It all added to the drama New York thrives on, bringing out both the best and worst in the players.
Big names like Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Emma Raducanu, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic all made winning starts to their campaign.
Bonzi’s win over 2021 US Open champion Medvedev was arguably the biggest upset of the day. He managed to do it despite one of the most bizarre match point distractions and an extreme tantrum from Medvedev.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Photographer Enters Court On Match Point
Bonzi won the first two sets 6-3, 7-5 and was serving at 5-4, Ad-40 when the incident happened.
Serving for the match, Bonzi hit a fault on his first serve. Then, before he could deliver a second serve, a photographer entered the court and made his way over to a photo/video section of the court.
When umpire Greg Allensworth spotted the photographer, he said into the mic, “Please, not now. Get off the court. Please.”
After a pause, he then announced a first serve for Bonzi due to the “delay by an outside interference.”
The photographer, meanwhile, tried to play it off entirely. He went about taking photos from his new vantage point, though there was some visible tension on his face. He was later removed by security and his credentials have since been revoked.
Daniil Medvedev was visibly upset after a camera person walked on the court at match point. pic.twitter.com/5wnVf2GSFm
— ESPN (@espn) August 25, 2025
Medvedev Incites Crowd To Cause Further Delay
As soon as the call was made, Medvedev rushed over to the chair umpire while raising his hands to invite the crowd to boo.
He was then extremely disrespectful towards Allensworth in questioning the call.
“Don’t shake, man, it’s okay, we’re both men. Are you a man?” Medvedev said. “Are you a man?? Don’t shake, why are you shaking?”
Allensworth responded with, “I’m not shaking,” before appearing to explain the call.
Medvedev then yelled into the camera that Allensworth wants to go home, making a case that the umpire gets paid by the match and not by the hour. The Russian followed that up by chanting, “What did Reilly Opelka say?! What Did Reilly Opelka say?!” and then once again gesturing with his hands to get the crowd involved.
Allensworth then simply stated into the mic, “Let’s play.”
Medvedev was referencing Opelka’s comments at the Dallas Open where the American stated, “Greg Allensworth is the worst ref in the ATP. We were talking about him in the locker room, all the players, it really is a coincidence about two days ago [we were talking about the worst umpire on the tour and he] is the worst one.”
Those comments were because Opelka felt Allensworth wasn’t doing enough to shut down or get a heckler removed for repeatedly attacking Opelka.
Is Medvedev Or The Umpire Right?
Despite Allensworth’s reputation, it was a fair judgment call.
It’s understandable that Medvedev would feel aggrieved by Bonzi regaining a first serve, but it was completely within protocol for Allensworth to award it. The same happens if a streaker enters the court.
A different but relatable experience is when there’s a technical difficulty, though the protocol in this newer situation appears to be that it becomes a second serve. A recent example of this occurred when Ben Shelton played Karen Khachanov in the Toronto Masters final and two system glitches caused delays.
In both cases, Khachanov was serving and it was a great showcase of sportsmanship where Shelton implored the umpire to award a first serve.
Coming back to what transpired in this US Open match, the abnormality of the situation is further heightened by it being match point. Bonzi would certainly have every right to feel frustrated if the opposite decision was made. It’s a massive distraction in between first and second serves with the tension of match point at a Grand Slam.
Furthermore, as soon as Medvedev incited the crowd and caused what was ultimately an added six-minute delay, it had to be a first serve.
What was completely unreasonable here was the manner in which Medvedev reacted to the decision. He will likely receive a big fine.
Medvedev Frustration At Boiling Point
Let’s also remember that Medvedev’s frustration is at its maximum in this moment. Bonzi had already defeated him in the first round of this year’s Wimbledon. After that match, the Russian claimed that Bonzi only plays that well against him.
Bonzi now leads the head-to-head 3-0, having defeated him at the French Open in 2017 as well. It’s clearly a matchup problem for Medvedev.
When you look big picture as well, this has been a miserable year for Medvedev. He lost in the second round at the Australian Open and the first round at each of the other three Majors.
Medvedev lost his opening match at the Toronto Masters and his second match in Cincinnati. He hasn’t won a single event all year. The hard courts were supposed to be where he turns things around. The former World No. 1 is currently down to 16th and could drop further by tournament’s end.
All of that frustration showed even more at the end of the match. Medvedev smashed a racquet repeatedly until it was completely obliterated. He then sat in his seat and disrespectfully walked off court as Bonzi was doing his post-match on-court interview.
Daniil Medvedev smashed his racket after his first-round loss at the US Open. pic.twitter.com/HJtQAYcfHA
— ESPN (@espn) August 25, 2025
If anything, it feels as if justice was served by Bonzi winning the match. He was the one doing all the right things in the first two sets. He was the one who did more to earn match point in the third.
To have that distraction, go on to lose the set, get hammered 6-0 in the fourth, then come back after getting broken early in the fifth? It shows tremendous guts and character. The conversation should be surrounding just how well he played to pull this off.
Bonzi will now face USA’s Marcos Giron in the second round.
