After two sets with Australia’s Linky Hijikata, Ben Shelton was one game away from Wimbledon’s advance to the third round. However, he had to wait until Friday to finish work.
The second round match between Shelton and Hijikata was suspended at 9:29 pm local time in London due to darkness. When authorities called the match, Shelton was leading Hijikata 6-2, 7-5, 5-4.
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He finished that victory on Friday, winning the match and won the match by winning the third set 6-4. It took Shelton a minute to close out Friday’s game.
Shelton was naturally unhappy after the call. When Hijikata left the court, he spoke passionately with the officials. The crowd also responded strongly, booing the ruling and appearing to be casting “another game.”
Part of Shelton’s complaints was that as the sun set, both players had previously broached the idea of pausing the match, but authorities told them to play. The match took place at the 2nd Courthouse, with no roof or stadium lighting.
Due to scheduling, Shelton and Hijikata did not begin playing until 7pm local time. The court said four other matches took place before them, one of the men’s matches took almost three hours and the second two half of the two.
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Shelton had the opportunity to close the victory before the officials’ call. The 22-year-old American rose 40-0 in the game he won in the match before dropping five straight points on Hijikata. As a result, Hijikata won the game, making the set 5-4 and forced it on the second day.
Ranked 10th, Shelton is one of the top two Americans remaining in the tournament.
The victory pushes Shelton into the third round for the second year in a row.
