DC Open delay for distressed fan flips match to Daniil Medvedev

WASHINGTON, DC—A brief delay at the Mubadala Citi DC Open was all Daniil Medvedev needed to turn around a tight opening round against Reilly Opelka, the former world No. 1 losing just one game to the American for a 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory after play was stopped to address a heat-affected fan on Stadium Court.

“First of all, I hope the person is fine,” the eighth-seeded Medvedev said after the match. “The stands are not easy when it’s that hot, and it’s full sun.”

The 2021 US Open champion was down a set but serving 40-0 at 5-5 in the second when cries for help echoed across the court, chair umpire Mohamed Layhani halting play as the fan was given assistance in the stands.

I had more time to reflect and somehow it helped me be better after. On the next return game, I was able to get more returns in play. So, it helped me reset. Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev was facing an uphill battle against the resurgent Opelka, a former world No. 17 who missed most of the last two seasons due to hip and wrist injuries. Back up to No. 66 in the rankings after starting the year with a win over Novak Djokovic, the 6’11” Opelka struck 12 aces across the first two sets, dropping just five points behind his first serve.

A point away from the typical 90-second changeover, Medvedev made the most of the extra time and was soon able to break Opelka at love to claim the second set.

“If we talk strictly about tennis, it helped me because usually when we have the changeovers, we have kind of a routine,” explained Medvedev, a finalist at the DC Open six years ago. “I know I need to eat, drink, put on an ice towel, this and that. Here, it was more like three minutes or something like this.

“So, I had more time to reflect and somehow it helped me be better after. On the next return game, I was able to get more returns in play. So, it helped me reset.”

Though Medvedev navigated several marathon games in the decider, he won all the crucial points to break Opelka twice more to run away with the match in two hours flat.

“During the match, I was trying to find solutions to his serve, and I managed to do it step by step and I was returning better and better, so I'm happy about it.”

Medvedev has tended to put a positive spin on his season but has objectively struggled at the Grand Slams in 2025, winning just one match across the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon. Ever the optimist, the 29-year-old saw his first-round Wimbledon exit as an opportunity to make his first trip back to Washington since 2019.

“I love Washington as a city, so I’m really happy to come back. Of course, when you play good at Wimbledon, it’s tougher to come back here, so that’s why I haven’t been back in so many years.”

He spoke enthusiastically about his updated Tecnifibre frame—technically the same but painted in the popular blue recently seen on Yonex and Wilson racquets—and the accompanying bag with its Tiffany blue accents. His lone complaint was a familiar one, concerning the large on-court cameras that prevent Medvedev from playing as far behind the baseline as he would like.

“The camera should not be there,” declared Medvedev, who famously crashed into one such camera at the 2021 Cincinnati Open. “I was trying to kind of play with it, meaning if I thought he was going to go to the backhand, I knew that I have to stay two steps forward. But whenever he made a good kick, I was screwed.

“I don't see why it's there. Again, maybe against another opponents, it will not bother me because I'm going to be tiny bit closer, because Reilly is probably the biggest server. But when you're playing against Reilly, you're a little bit disappointed, because there can be important points which you lose because of the camera. It's not fair, anyway. It's just not fair.”

Medvedev will next face China’s Wu Yibing in a rematch of their 2022 US Open clash, which the Monte Carlo-based Medvedev won in straight sets.