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Ben Shelton was serving for the match at the Wimbledon Championships on Thursday, but he had to wait until the next day to do so.
That’s because his second-round bout against Rinky Hijikata was suspended due to darkness.
Shelton was leading, 6-2, 7-5, 5-4, when the match was called, and he clearly was not happy – play was suspended at 9:29 p.m. local time, and both players had made arguments to suspend play earlier in the match.
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Ben Shelton celebrates victory over Rinky Hijikata on day five of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London on Friday, July 4, 2025. (John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Shelton approached the umpire and had to be held back by another official to calm him down.
Well, Shelton and Hijikata returned to the court early Friday morning to finish the match – and it took one minute to do so, as Shelton advanced to the third round.
“It was difficult. At that point, we kind of knew that we were playing in conditions that weren’t ideal for tennis. For me, it was like, ‘what’s one more game at that point?’ Shelton said after the match. “I understand the tournament’s gotta make whatever decisions they make, and the players gotta live with that. For me, I live with it. I came out today, and I did what I do.
Ben Shelton, top, returns the ball to Rinky Hijikata of Australia during their second round men’s singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
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“I hadn’t gotten broken the whole match. I haven’t gotten broken since my first set in my first round, and I felt confident coming out here having one service game to finish it.”
Shelton said he was unsure of his plans for the day, debating whether he should practice, considering Friday was originally scheduled to be an off day for the 10th-ranked player in the world.
“It’s different. I warmed up for 30 minutes, then spent one minute on the court. A lot more time was spent in the preparation than the actual match,” he said.
Ben Shelton reacts after winning a point against Rinky Hijikata on day four of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)
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Shelton will face Marton Focsovics of Hungary in the third round on Saturday. His best finish at Wimbledon was lasting to the fourth round last year – he has made the semifinals in both the Australian and U.S. Opens.
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