Wimbledon drama erupts as Aussie's match called off in 'embarrassing' scenes
The time was 9.29pm in London when the umpire made the call - well before the 11pm curfew that Wimbledon has in place. The chair umpire obviously didn't think it was safe to continue on Court No.2 - which doesn't have a roof or flood lights.
Shelton was left fuming at the decision, angrily remonstrating with the chair umpire as Hijikata left the court. It means the Aussie has been given an overnight reprieve before a likely exit in the second round - which might take mere minutes on Friday.
Part of Shelton's frustration was the fact he'd actually asked the umpire and officials if the match should be suspended when he clinched the second set. Both players seemed to agree it would be a good time to put the match on hold for the night, but the umpire called for it to continue.
Shelton and Hijikata didn't get on court until after 7pm due to four other matches that took place beforehand. One of the men's matches took nearly three hours and the second lasted two-and-a-half.
Shelton actually had a golden opportunity to get the match finished when Hijikata was down 0-40 while serving at 3-5. But the Aussie reeled off five-straight points to get it back to 4-5, and that's when the umpire decided he'd seen enough for the day.
"This is unbelievable," said former US star James Blake in commentary for ESPN. "Ben Shelton is understandably upset here. He hasn't dropped serve all match and they suspend play, after both players had made their own arguments to end play for the last 20 or 30 minutes. The first discussions we had about this were well over 30 minutes ago."
Speaking later on ESPN, retired player CoCo Vandeweghe highlighted that Shelton won't have a proper off-day before his next match. "If I'm Ben Shelton, I'm really furious right now that I'm not able to serve it out," she said. Blake added: "A bad decision forced another bad decision...They could've stopped at the end of the second set or at 4-2."
Hijikata's fate appears all-but sealed, and he probably won't be joining Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson and Daria Kasatkina as Aussies to make the third round. The controversy around the Shelton-Hijikata match comes after tennis fans had already called on Wimbledon officials to break some of its traditions and rules.
A handful of matches at this year's tournament had already been suspended late in the night, including Taylor Fritz's first-round contest. The 11pm curfew came into place on the request of local residents, while also ensuring spectators get home safely.
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An agreement was reached in 2009 between local officials, tournament organisers and local residents that play would not continue past 11pm. Residents were concerned about the noise that spectators were making while leaving the Wimbledon grounds late at night, while the London Underground train system closes around midnight on weekdays as well.
The bigger issue that arose on Thursday night was the fact that very few courts at Wimbledon have lights. One person wrote on social media: "For a major not to be able to continue beyond 9:30 is absolutely insane. Wimbledon needs to do something about this. This is beyond comprehension right now." The 11pm curfew had already been labelled "dumb" and "archaic" by those in the know, and Thursday night's scenes were blasted as "ridiculous" and "embarrassing" for the tournament.
Maybe put lights on the outside courts and get rid of the curfew rule @Wimbledon https://t.co/E9nH3LyHsR
— Derrick Quan Ow (@derrickq42) July 3, 2025
Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE they're suspending Ben Shelton / Rinky Hijikata For a major not to be able to continue beyond 9:30 is absolutely insane. Just like the underwear rule change, Wimbledon needs to do something about this This is beyond comprehension right now
— bird 𝕏 (@birdy939) July 3, 2025
Yo @Wimbledon that's just embarrassing.You spend 30 mins talking about whether or not to keep playing. You ultimately start the third set. And you let them play all the way until 5-4, and right when Ben Shelton is about to serve for the match, that's when you call it.Pathetic pic.twitter.com/rG34Jh61Ow
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) July 3, 2025
Ben Shelton has every right to be livid.After all this, you suspend the match right before Shelton is about to serve for it??Absolute ridiculous decision yet again by tournament officials.
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) July 3, 2025
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