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 🌘' View this post on Instagram
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Anisimova's career comes full circle after burnout fears
LONDON :When Amanda Anisimova reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals as a 20-year-old in the summer of 2022, she was being hailed as the "next big thing" in American tennis along with Coco Gauff. But instead of providing a launch pad for her career, that achievement led to a downward spiral. From mid-August that year to the following May, Anisimova failed to win back-to-back matches in any of the 10 tournaments she entered, winning a paltry four matches in total during that miserable nine-month run. With her time on the tour taking a toll on her mental health, in May 2023 she pulled the plug on her tennis year to try and get away from it all, after realising that she was simply burned out from the never-ending cycle of defeats. When she made her comeback to the Grand Slam stage at the Australian Open last year, her ranking had plummeted to 442 but, now rejuvenated and ready to go again, that statistic did not faze her. She made it to the last 16 before running into eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka, and rather than getting down in the dumps, Anisimova took it as proof that her career was back on an upward trajectory as it was the first time since Wimbledon 2022 that she had won three successive matches. Even when she failed to qualify for Wimbledon last year, while ranked 189th, she knew that mentally she was in a better place than she had been 12 months earlier. Fast forward 12 months and things are looking bright and sunny again for Anisimova - albeit at a soggy Wimbledon. Seeded 13th, she is back in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon following a nerve-shredding 6-2 5-7 6-4 victory over Czech 30th seed Linda Noskova - a result that will allow her to break into the world's top 10 for the first time. "I was just super excited to compete here ... and just being seeded was already really special," said the 23-year-old, who opened her Wimbledon account by handing Yulia Putintseva the dreaded 6-0 6-0 double bagel in the first round. "I felt really good about myself because I think it was just a huge reminder of all the work and progress I've made so far this year. "I knew that every match was going to be a battle, which it has been. I've just been really enjoying the journey here." With French Open champion Gauff having suffered a shock first round exit at Wimbledon, Anisimova and 10th seed Emma Navarro, who plays her last 16 match against Mirra Andreeva on Monday, are the only Americans left with a chance of lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish come Saturday. Anisimova will fancy her chances of reaching the semi-finals at the grasscourt major for the first time considering she holds a 3-0 win-loss record against her next opponent, Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. "Ever since I took my break, I just found this new perspective and this newfound sense of fighting for everything and accepting the challenges that come and embracing them," said Anisimova, born in New Jersey to Russian immigrants. "A lot of things have changed ... I feel like my professionalism and work ethic has taken a whole 360. Everything is centred around my tennis and how I can prepare the best that I can. "It's super special and a surreal feeling to be in the top 10. If I thought to myself last year ... that I'll be breaking the top 10 by now, it would be pretty surprising to me, considering where I was last summer."
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Anisimova ends Czech three-peat hopes with victory over Noskova
LONDON :Amanda Anisimova ended Linda Noskova's hopes of completing a 'Czech three-peat' at Wimbledon on Sunday after the American 13th seed brought out her A-game to end her rival's barnstorming run with a 6-2 5-7 6-4 victory to reach the quarter-finals. After Marketa Vondrousova's and Barbora Krejcikova's unexpected triumphs at the All England Club over the past two years, 30th seed Noskova would have harboured hopes of following in their footsteps, especially as she was the last Czech standing among the eight who had started in the women's draw. However, Anisimova wasted little time in exposing Noskova's lack of grasscourt craft as she broke the 30th seed for a 2-0 lead with some crisp hitting from the baseline and again in the eighth game to capture the first set with a scorching forehand winner. Played under a closed Court One roof on a soggy day at Wimbledon, the contest failed to catch fire during the opening set as the majority of ticket holders in the 12,000-capacity arena had abandoned their seats following British hope Cameron Norrie's nerve-jangling 4-1/2 hour win over Nicolas Jarry. The smattering of spectators who did stick around saw Noskova, who had won only one match at Wimbledon before this week, find her comfort zone in the floodlit arena in the second set as she broke for a 2-1 lead. The 20-year-old missed her chance to level the match when she served at 5-4, with Anisimova saving a set point with a mis-hit service return winner en route to grabbing the break back to level at 5-5. Noskova did not dwell on that near-miss and she broke again for a 6-5 lead before making sure her opponent did not get a look-in on her next set point, firing down an ace to seal it. Anisimova looked to be on her way out when she fell behind 3-1 in the deciding set but, with her support team telling her to "keep on believing", she fought back to 3-3 before eventually ending the two-hour tussle on her second match point with a backhand winner. Anisimova matched her best Wimbledon result by reaching the quarter-finals for the second time and will next meet Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Norris revels in emotional first home win
SILVERSTONE, England :Lando Norris said winning his home British Grand Prix was everything he had ever dreamed of and everything he had ever wanted to achieve, apart from winning the Formula One championship. The McLaren driver's fourth win of the season left him eight points behind Australian teammate and F1 leader Oscar Piastri but Sunday at Silverstone was less about the numbers and more about the emotions. No tears were shed, he claimed, even when he stepped out of the car and embraced his mother. "Apart from a championship, I think this is as good as it gets in terms of feelings, in terms of achievement, being proud –- all of it," he told 2009 champion and compatriot Jenson Button. "You know, this is where it all started for me... watching you on TV many years ago. And now, thankfully, I've been able to have my go. "The last few laps, I was just looking into the crowd. I was just trying to take it all in, enjoy the moment because it might never happen again. I hope it does but these are memories that I'll bring with me forever." Norris, whose fans had their own 'Landostand' at Silverstone, said after winning in Monaco that it was a boyhood dream come true but Silverstone was another level. The roll-call of British greats is long and Norris added his name to a list that has Lewis Hamilton's inscribed a record nine times. "When I get emotional, I don't cry, I just smile. It's pure happiness," he said of his feelings on taking the chequered flag and the wobble in his voice that had suggested tears might be flowing. "It's pure enjoyment of the moment that you're in," he told reporters. "I wish I could cry because I think it looks better for pictures sometimes. But no, I just smile instead. "I've joined a long list of pretty incredible winners who have won here in the past. Most of them are Lewis. But to join him and, from a British side, to continue the reign of the British here is pretty amazing. "The last two laps, looking up at the fans and seeing them on their feet and cheering - these are moments that no one really gets, none of you guys get to witness. This is something that I and very few others, especially Brits, get to witness. "It's a very selfish moment but it's one of the most special, the most incredible. "I'm not going say it's my best win, that's not true. But in terms of what it means to win here at home the want, the desire to do it in front of my own grandstand, my family, my friends, McLaren... makes it all even more special."
