The US Open’s opening night produced an extraordinary upset when France’s Benjamin Bonzi eliminated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in a five-set first-round match that was interrupted by an on-court photographer. With Bonzi holding match point at 6-3, 7-5, 5-4, a credentialed photographer stepped onto the Louis Armstrong Stadium surface, leading chair umpire Greg Allensworth to allow the Frenchman another first serve. The decision enraged Medvedev, who stormed to the chair shouting, “Are you a man? Why are you shaking?”, and whipped the crowd into a prolonged, deafening uproar that forced a six-minute halt in play. The interruption initially swung momentum toward the Russian. Medvedev saved the match point, captured the third-set tiebreak and blanked Bonzi 6-0 in the fourth. But the world No. 51 regrouped, breaking the No. 13 seed twice in a tense decider to prevail 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4 after three hours 45 minutes. Bonzi has now beaten Medvedev in the opening round of three consecutive Grand Slams. The United States Tennis Association said the photographer was escorted from the venue and had his credentials revoked. Medvedev smashed his racket after the defeat and, according to tournament officials, faces a significant fine for the outburst. His exit makes him the first former champion to leave this year’s tournament, reshaping a men’s draw already missing several high seeds. Bonzi moves on to the second round, while the focus shifts to whether tournament organisers tighten camera-pit protocols after the incident. Day-one winners also included Novak Djokovic and top-seed Aryna Sabalenka, but their progress was overshadowed by the chaotic finish to Medvedev’s campaign.