Wimbledon: Ben Shelton’s match suspended with one game away from reaching the third round

WIMBLEDON, LONDON: Ben Shelton was only one game away from moving forward to the third round of this year’s Wimbledon tournament. However, after a thrilling two-set match against Rinky Hijikata from Australia, the game was suspended due to darkness. 

During the day of the match, the sun had set 10 minutes earlier, and Shelton was leading with a scoreline of  6-2, 7-5, 5-4 when the game was halted. 

Evidently, Shelton was upset when this happened, and the athlete was seen discussing with the officials while his opponent left the court. Furthermore, the crowd also expressed their disappointment by chanting boos and the line ‘one more game.’ 

Wimbledon lacks appropriate lighting for games

Part of Shelton’s frustration was the fact that they had suggested ending the match earlier as it got darker since the game was held on No. 2 Court, which does not have a roof and the appropriate stadium lights. However, the officials insisted that the match continue. 

With four other matches played on the same court that same day–one lasted nearly three hours, and another lasted two and a half–Shelton and Hijikata’s match started after 7 p.m. Unfortunately, Shelton’s said goodbye to the opportunity to secure the win. 

A post shared by Sports Center shows the moment when the officials suspended the match. The post caption says: “Ben Shelton reacts to his match against Rinky Hijikata being suspended at 9:29 p.m. local time… The match will be resumed tomorrow after play is suspended due to darkness.” 

Netizens commented on the post and said: “This is ridiculous, why don’t they add lights to Wimbledon courts?”, “Inexcusable decision. Should’ve played one final game. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day for Shelton and now he has to come out and go through his whole routine — all likely unnecessary,” “Wouldn’t the match have been finished in another minute? That’s crazy,” and “Shelton handled the suspension with composure, understanding that safety and fair play come first. Sometimes, the game pauses—but focus and momentum must carry into tomorrow.” 

On his social media, Shelton expressed: “They ain’t wanna see anything else from me tonight, but I’ll see yall tomorrow 🌘”

 

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A post shared by Ben Shelton (@benshelton)

Even though the athlete addressed the incident in a light-hearted way, many netizens expressed frustration in the comments. One wrote, “So ridiculous how they didn’t let you finish lmao,” while another called it “one of the worst suspensions in the history of professional tennis.” Others said the decision was a “complete joke” and argued he should have been allowed to finish the match.