With this new four-game window presenting something different for managers across Europe to tackle, a myriad of approaches emerged.

Germany boss Jurgen Klopp named virtually two separate squads for his side’s two pairs of games, while Ukraine made 10 changes between their first two games and then nine for their defeat by Northern Ireland.

Having spoken before the start of the campaign about how the condensed schedule would be more difficult for smaller nations, O’Neill kept changes to a minimum.

He started only different 15 players across the four games with two of his changes enforced by Ballard’s injury and Ethan Galbraith’s absence against Ukraine to attend the birth of his child.

Despite the relatively small pool of starters, this still feels like a window when Northern Ireland’s depth was tested and passed with flying colours.

O’Neill was without talisman Bradley and the reliable Ali McCann coming into the window, and then lost Ballard to a hamstring injury after the first game in Tbilisi.

Young centre-backs McConville, 21, and Tom Atcheson, 20, looked ready to play at this level, while Ciaron Brown started all four games and impressed too having often had to bide his time in past squads.

O’Neill’s praise for his squad was across the board.

“For me it’s been one of the most enjoyable windows I’ve had as an international manager, and that’s been because of the players,” said O’Neill.

“How they’ve applied themselves, how desperate they are to do well, and that’s a real positive.

“We’ve a brilliant group of players and a lot of them I think will play international football for a long time.”

Daniil Medvedev was defaulted for hitting a spectator in the face with a ball as Novak Djokovic took his impeccable record at the China Open to 33-0 and moved one win away from a first title of 2026.

Medvedev accidentally struck the fan around the left eye while trailing 7-5 5-3 and three points from defeat in Monday’s punishing semi-final in Beijing, during which Djokovic saved 16 of the 18 break points he faced.

Medvedev, who will now lose all points and prize money earned from the event, hit a backhand into the stands after the ball deflected off a wall following a winner from Djokovic

The spectator was subsequently helped out of the arena and tournament organisers later announced he had been taken to hospital.

Medvedev: It was ‘100 per cent accident’

Medvedev said: “Terribly sorry to the spectator, first of all I’m trying to get in touch with him, if he wants it.

“Hopefully I can apologise in person. I just hope he’s OK. That’s the most important. I just really care about him right now.

“It was 100 per cent accident. You can see I didn’t hit the ball in anger. I do a lot of bad things but usually ball abuse is not my thing.

“The ball was bouncing back so I tried to just hit it anywhere so it doesn’t go out from the court When I saw the result, I felt horrible. Hopefully I can meet him and make up for it somehow.”

Speaking afterwards, Djokovic, who was defaulted at the 2020 US Open for hitting a line judge with a ball, said: “It is a bit of a shock, to be honest. I am sorry for the person.

“I hope the person is not badly injured. I also feel sorry for Daniil as I know exactly how it feels to be disqualified in a big match. I’m sure he didn’t want to do this intentionally.”

Djokovic: Always a battle against Medvedev

Djokovic, 39, won the China Open six times in seven years between 2009 and 2015 but had not returned prior to this campaign.

The Serb, who secured a come-from-behind quarter-final victory over world No 2 Alexander Zverev on Sunday, will meet Alex de Minaur in Tuesday’s final as he looks to clinch a 102nd career title and first since the Hellenic Championship little under a year ago.

Djokovic said: “It was a gruelling battle that I definitely didn’t want to take to a third set. It was looking like that.

“It is always a big battle with Daniil, so hard to play him when he is feeling the ball in slower conditions with his big serve.

“I always believe in myself and felt I played really well in training but obviously it is different in an official match.

“My draw wasn’t favourable, very tough matches from the beginning, but it makes the run to the final sweeter. Something about Beijing keeps me going.”

Djokovic reached the Australian Open final in January, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets, but has struggled for fitness and form since and dropped out of the world’s top 10, although this run in Beijing has returned him to that elite level.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who has played just eight tournaments this year, recently revealed an ongoing medical condition that has led to fatigue and vomiting on court, with the issue exacerbated in hot and humid conditions.

De Minaur was leading Hubert Hurkacz 6-4 3-2 in the first semi-final when his opponent pulled out through injury.

In the women’s event, Britain’s Sonay Kartal saw her WTA Tour comeback end in the third round with a 6-4 6-1 loss to Alina Charaeva – the player who dumped out world No 1 Elena Rybakina in the previous round.

This was Kartal’s first WTA tournament since March after a stress fracture of the back and she picked up wins over Andrea Lazaro Garcia and Wang Xinyu before falling to Charaeva.

Following her loss to Charaeva, US Open champion Rybakina has now withdrawn from the upcoming Wuhan Open due to a foot injury. “I’ll take some time to rest and recover,” Rybakina was quoted as saying by Wuhan Open organizers.

Iga Swiatek reached the fourth round after rallying from a set and 5-2 down to beat Donna Vekic 4-6 7-6 (7-0) 6-2, while Coco Gauff also advanced to the last 16 as she brushed aside Xinran Sun 7-5 6-1.

Alcaraz wins – despite losing 16 points in a row

Over at the Japan Open, defending champion Alcaraz fought from a set down to beat fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar 5-7 6-3 6-1 and make his first final since April’s Monte-Carlo Masters.

World No 3 Alcaraz led 5-3 in the first set against his compatriot but then lost 16 points in a row to ship it before the players traded breaks at the start of the second set.

The seven-time major champion eventually took control to secure a meeting with Jiri Lehecka in in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Alcaraz said: “I don’t know what happened in the first set. It seems that I’m struggling in every first set, but I’ve come back every time and I’m really happy about it.”

Alcaraz’s season has been disrupted by a wrist injury that caused him to miss his French Open defence as well as Wimbledon.

He returned for the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open in New York, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing in five sets to home player Ben Shelton.

If Alcaraz takes the title in Japan for the second straight year – he beat Taylor Fritz in the 2025 final – it will be his third of the campaign, after the Australian Open and Qatar Open, and 27th of his career.

Watch the finals of the ATP Japan Open and ATP China Open live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am on Tuesday. Stream tennis and more without a contract on NOW.