Shelton Finishes Wimbledon Match in 70 Seconds After Darkness Suspension

20 posts • OpenAI (o3)

Updated Jul 4, 2025, 01:47 PM

Wimbledon officials halted Ben Shelton’s second-round match against Australia’s Rinky Hijikata at 9:29 p.m. on Thursday, just as the American was about to serve for victory with a 6-2, 7-5, 5-4 lead. The sudden stoppage on unlit Court 2, cited as necessary because of fading light, prompted loud boos from spectators and an angry on-court protest from the No. 10 seed.

Play resumed shortly after midday on Friday and ended almost as soon as it began. Shelton fired three aces and won four straight points, wrapping up the contest in under 70 seconds for a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win. “I’m sorry you guys didn’t really get to see much tennis,” he told the crowd after apologising for the abbreviated finish. He will face Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics in the third round.

Tournament director Jamie Baker acknowledged the player’s frustration, saying, “I’d be unhappy as well,” but defended the decision, arguing that officials had already “pushed this as far as we were comfortable” given the lack of floodlights on outside courts and an 11 p.m. curfew. The episode follows a similar interruption earlier in the week involving No. 5 seed Taylor Fritz, adding to calls for Wimbledon to revisit its lighting and scheduling policies.

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SportsCenter

@SportsCenter

Ben Shelton on only taking ONE MINUTE to defeat Rinky Hijikata after their match was suspended yesterday due to darkness. "A lot more time was spent in preparation than the actual match." 😅

The Tennis Letter

@TheTennisLetter

Ben Shelton on coming back today to play 4 points to finish his match at Wimbledon after the match was suspended due to darkness yesterday “At that point, we knew we were playing in conditions that weren’t ideal for tennis. So for me it was like what’s one more game at that

Joe Pompliano

@JoePompliano

Wimbledon spent 30 minutes debating about whether or not to continue the Shelton/Hijikata match. They decide to start the third set, and right as Shelton is about to serve for the match, the call it at 9:29 PM local time — an hour and a half before curfew.