By Chris Oddo | Sunday, August 24, 2025
Photo credit: Elsa/Getty
It didn’t take the 2025 US Open very long to create the type of wild, frenzied night session match that it has become known for over the years. Less than a day, in fact.
Daniil Medvedev riled the fans up after a photographer lost his bearings and walked onto court during match point for Benjamin Bonzi, and what followed was six minutes of sheer madness as the Russian seized the moment and brought the Louis Armstrong crowd into the match in one of the craziest night session moments in recent memory.
In the end, Bonzi scored a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 0-6, 6-4 victory on a crazy night.
“I’m very proud of myself, the scenario of the match, the match point in the third,” Bonzi said. “Then Daniil playing great and taking, like, full advantage on the fourth.
“I was not in my best physically in the fifth. I tried to fought very hard to give all I had. I saw
that he was not maybe at his best too. Yeah, it’s kind of crazy, this match. For me it’s like my best
victory ever. It’s very special to do it here.”
With Medvedev trailing two sets to love and 5-4, ad-in, Bonzi hit a fault. Then bedlam broke loose as a rogue cameraman emerged on the court, stopping the players in their tracks, while umpire Greg Allensworth chastised the offender and awarded Bonzi another first serve.
The cameraman hung around for a while, snapping pictures in the pit, but was later removed from his post.
Allensworth’s decision to give Bonzi another first serve drove Medvedev batty, and the Russian pleaded his case while gesturing to the fans to make some noise. They did just that, and continued hollering through the five-minute delay.
They did not stop until Bonzi had squandered his match point and the break advantage.
“I was not upset with the photographer. I think nothing special,” Medvedev said. “Every time there is
a sound from the stands between the serves, there is never second serve. But, well, it helped me get back into the match.
“It was fun moment to live. I was not upset with the photographer. I was upset with the decision.”
Afterward, Medvedev said stirring up the crowd was his expression of outrage over the chair umpire’s decision rather than an effort to stall Bonzi and get back into the match.
“For sure I was disappointed. I thought he has a match point on his serve,” Medvedev said. “I didn’t break him once in the match. I thought I’m losing the match, and okay, it’s second serve. I think the referee doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t say anything.
“I think he makes the second serve, probably wins the point, and the
match is over. He says first serve. What I say and what I do, in my head, I want to do worse,
and I cannot because there are rules, because we’re on tennis court. So I just expressed my emotions, my
unhappiness with the decision, and then the crowd did what they did without me asking them too much, and it was fun to witness.
“Honestly, while living it, I was, like, you know what, it could be fun maybe to finish my career with one match at the US Open.”
Medvedev pushed through the fourth, notching a bagel against a stunned Bonzi, but credit the Frenchman for finding his resolve in the final set as he righted the ship after two trades of breaks, saving five break points to hold for 4-3, before breaking Medvedev a final time in the tenth game. It was Bonzi’s fourth career five-set win, and second consecutive win over Medvedev following his Wimbledon first-round triumph.
An enraged Medvedev, who had reached US Open quarterfinals or better in five of the last six years, completely erupted smashing his Tecnifibre racquets after suffering his third straight Grand Slam first-round loss.
2021 US Open champion Medvedev drops to 15-11 on hard courts this season, and 1-4 at the majors.
Bonzi will face American Marcos Giron in the second round. Bonzi said this was the most bizarre match he has ever played.
“I mean, the rule is the rule,” Bonzi said. “The guy went on the court between two serves. I
mean, it’s not my call to say first serve. And I think, yes, Daniil started it, and he put oil on the fire.
He went with the crowd crazy. He went with them. Yeah, it was, like, honestly I never saw that.”
