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The 2025 US Open clash between 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev and unseeded Benjamin Bonzi saw extraordinary scenes at the Louis Armstrong court in New York on Sunday as walking in of a photographer triggered a controversy that took the entire tennis fraternity by surprise. The photographer’s mistake prompted an unconventional call by the referee that completely altered the course of the game and resulted in the crowd booing the match official for six minutes straight. Here’s what happened. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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Bonzi was on course to seal a huge upset on Sunday (August 24) on the opening day of the tournament as he won the first two sets by a margin of 6-3 and 7-5. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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The Frechman then took a 5-4 lead in the third set and was serving for the match before he hit his first serve on the net. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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As Bonzi prepared for the second serve, cameras spotted a photographer trying to leave the court from behind and coming onto the court. (Photo Source: Screengrab from ESPN livestream)
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At this point, the match referee took a call that stunned Medvedev, took the crowd at the match by surprise, as he allowed Bonzi to take his first serve again. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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This evidently triggered Medvedev, who rushed toward the chair and had a heated altercation. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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“Are you a man? Are you a man? Why are you shaking? What’s wrong, huh? Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour,” Medvedev was heard telling the referee. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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The crowd also took the Russian star’s side and booed the match official for six straight minutes as Bonzi waited to serve. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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The incident completely altered the pace of the game as Bonzi failed to win the match point and then was broken for the first time in the match. He ended up losing the set on a tie-breaker. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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In the third set, he was broken twice and went 4-0 down before calling for a medical timeout. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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Fueled by what he felt was injustice, Medvedev took the game to a thrilling decider before conceding a hard loss. (Photo Source: Associated Press)
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