Ex-US Open champ suffers meltdown in a third-set flashpoint after an errant photographer’s action caused a point replay.France’s Benjamin Bonzi sent 13th seed Daniil Medvedev crashing out of the US Open in a stormy late-night thriller that boiled over into chaos following an extraordinary third-set meltdown by the Russian.Bonzi advanced to the second round after holding his nerve to win 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 0-6, 6-4 in three hours and 45 minutes on Sunday night at Flushing Meadows in New York.The match exploded into drama in the third set as Bonzi served at advantage on match point, leading 5-4 after winning the opening two sets.After faulting on his first serve, Bonzi prepared to serve again when chair umpire Greg Allensworth suddenly halted play after a photographer mistakenly walked onto the court.Allensworth called for time after shouting, “Not now, get off the court, please”, before awarding a new first serve to Bonzi on the grounds of a “delay caused by outside interference”.That prompted an incandescent reaction from Medvedev, who sprinted across the court to remonstrate angrily with Allensworth, accusing the umpire of seeking to end the match early.“Are you a man? Are you a man?” the 2021 US Open champion asked Allensworth, before shouting into a courtside microphone: “He wants to go home, guys. He doesn’t like to be here; he gets paid by the match, not by …
