Latest news with #NachoForcadell
Rhyl Journal
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Ben Shelton needs just 69 seconds to complete match halted on Thursday night
Shelton, the 10th seed, was one game from victory on Thursday evening when umpire Nacho Forcadell called a halt to the match due to fading light at 9.29pm. The pair returned on Friday afternoon and after going through the standard five-minute warm-up, Shelton began with an ace. His next serve was wide, but Australian Hijikata's return on the second serve was long. Two more aces followed to wrap up a 6-2 7-5 6-4 win in just over a minute, around 18 hours after the match started. 'I thought it was a great match,' smiled the 22-year-old. 'Thanks to everybody for staying late, and for coming back. 'I was hoping to hit a few groundstrokes, so I might have to go back to the practice courts. 'I missed one first serve, so some things to be upset about and improve for the next round.' Getting the job done 💪#Wimbledon | @BenShelton — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025 Shelton later revealed the umpire told him the match had to be suspended because the electronic line calling would stop working as it got darker. 'He said it was a five-minute warning until the Hawk-Eye was going down,' said Shelton. 'That was including the changeover, so there wouldn't be enough time to complete the game. 'I was telling him 'I only need 60 seconds'. That's kind of what my goal was when I went out there today.' Shelton will face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the third round.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Gone in 70 seconds: Ben Shelton finishes bizarre match and finds the funny side
When you've had to wait a whole night to finish your match, what's another 70 seconds between friends? Three aces and an unreturnable kick serve did the job for Ben Shelton as he sealed his place in the third round at Wimbledon on Friday with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win over Rinky Hijikata, the smile on his face a far cry from the understandable frustration he showed when the match was suspended late the previous evening. The match had been controversially suspended at 9.29pm on Thursday night, with Shelton due to serve for victory. The two players had been in discussion with the umpire, Nacho Forcadell, earlier in the set to see if the match could be suspended because the court was becoming slippery, but the pair played on until the announcement was made at 5-4, prompting jeers from the crowd. The All England Club told the Guardian that the match had been called off because of fading light, while Shelton said he had been given a 'five-minute warning until the Hawk-Eye was going down'. 'That was including the changeover, so [he said] there wouldn't be enough time to complete the game. I was telling him, 'I only need 60 seconds'. That's kind of what my goal was when I went out there today.' Shelton said the umpire had told him he did not want the line-calling system to go down in the middle of a game. 'At that point I'm not as upset about that decision. It was a difficult decision that was forced because of what they did earlier.' When the match was called off on Thursday night, the supervisor spread his arms as Shelton shaped to approach the umpire, blocking his path to the chair. 'I don't think that I ever get disrespectful on the court,' he said. 'I try to get my point across. I guess when he saw a guy my size walking quickly towards the umpire, maybe he thought I was ready to throw hands or something. I definitely wasn't. 'I guess maybe I should apologise to Nacho if he felt scared up in the chair. I was upset in the moment. I wanted to get my point across. I think he was just trying to kind of defuse and keep me away from Nacho. I got over it pretty quickly, and then we talked in the gym after. I just wanted to give them my thoughts about the situation. They gave me theirs on why everything happened. It didn't really escalate. It probably looked more tense than it was, the whole holding back or staying in front of me. No, it was nothing.' Despite the brevity of action on Friday, Shelton said he had been ready to play two and a half sets if necessary and denied he had wanted to send a message by finishing things off so quickly. 'The only thing I was thinking about today was holding serve, how I was going to hold serve, and putting it in my mind that it was going to be tough and he was going to make every return, and I was going to have to come up with stuff from the baseline or the net,' he said. 'It ended up looking that way because of how it turned out, but that was not in my head at all. I wasn't trying to do anything. I was just competing, trying to win the match.' Shelton will play Marton Fucsovics next after the Hungarian beat Gael Monfils in five sets, in another match held over.
Reuters
a day ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Serve, set, match! Speedy Shelton reaches third round in one minute
LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Talk about a man in a hurry -- 10th seed Ben Shelton required just one minute to finish off his interrupted match against Australian Rinky Hijikata and reach the Wimbledon third round on Friday as he completed a 6-2 7-5 6-4 victory The American was left seething the previous evening when the contest on Court Two was suspended by umpire Nacho Forcadell because of fading light with Shelton serving for the match. That did not sit well with the 22-year-old who earned the sympathy of the crowd who chanted "one more game". After a night to sleep on it, Shelton made no mistake when play resumed, serving three aces, two clocked at 140mph, and an unreturned second serve to take his place in the last 32. The official reason for the previous night's stoppage was that automated Hawk-Eye line calling, which has replaced line judges this year for the first time, was unable to operate in low light conditions. "The umpire said it was like a five-minute warning until the Hawk-Eye was going down. That was, like, including the changeover, so there wouldn't be enough time to complete the game," Shelton told reporters after his win. "I was telling him, I only need 60 seconds. That's kind of what my goal was when I went out there today." Shelton's biggest gripe was that the match should actually have been curtailed earlier on Thursday as the court was becoming slippery, rather than at 5-4. "To stop when you're serving for the match, isn't ideal," he told reporters. "I thought we could have stopped earlier. My opponent was complaining since the end of the second set. "It seemed like there were better times if they knew they were going to stop it, to stop it before it got to that point." Shelton said he had walked back on court prepared to play another two hours if necessary. Thankfully for him, he was required to strike the ball only five times. "I'm just happy with the way I handled it coming out today and taking care of my business. I don't think that physically there's any big deal for me playing one game," he said. "But it's never ideal mentally having to wake up another day and be on and know that it's a match day. Obviously I went out there prepared to play two and a half sets. "You can't just go out there be like, 'Yeah, I'm going to hold (serve)'. What happens if you don't?" The big-serving Shelton has enjoyed a consistent run in the Grand Slams, now having reached at least the third round in his last eight appearances, including a semi-final run in Australia at the beginning of the year, his second major semi. Shelton will play lucky loser Marton Fucsovics in the next round after the Hungarian also completed a resumed match against French veteran Gael Monfils. Victory in that would see the American match his best result at Wimbledon, having reached the last 16 this time last year.
CNA
a day ago
- Sport
- CNA
Serve, set, match! Speedy Shelton reaches third round in one minute
LONDON :Talk about a man in a hurry - 10th seed Ben Shelton required just one minute to finish off his interrupted match against Australian Rinky Hijikata and reach the Wimbledon third round on Friday as he completed a 6-2 7-5 6-4 victory The American was left seething the previous evening when the contest on Court Two was suspended by umpire Nacho Forcadell because of fading light with Shelton serving for the match. That did not sit well with the 22-year-old who earned the sympathy of the crowd who chanted "one more game". After a night to sleep on it, Shelton made no mistake when play resumed, serving three aces, two clocked at 140mph, and an unreturned second serve to take his place in the last 32. The official reason for the previous night's stoppage was that automated Hawk-Eye line calling, which has replaced line judges this year for the first time, was unable to operate in low light conditions. "The umpire said it was like a five-minute warning until the Hawk-Eye was going down. That was, like, including the changeover, so there wouldn't be enough time to complete the game," Shelton told reporters after his win. "I was telling him, I only need 60 seconds. That's kind of what my goal was when I went out there today." Shelton's biggest gripe was that the match should actually have been curtailed earlier on Thursday as the court was becoming slippery, rather than at 5-4. "To stop when you're serving for the match, isn't ideal," he told reporters. "I thought we could have stopped earlier. My opponent was complaining since the end of the second set. "It seemed like there were better times if they knew they were going to stop it, to stop it before it got to that point." Shelton said he had walked back on court prepared to play another two hours if necessary. Thankfully for him, he was required to strike the ball only five times. "I'm just happy with the way I handled it coming out today and taking care of my business. I don't think that physically there's any big deal for me playing one game," he said. "But it's never ideal mentally having to wake up another day and be on and know that it's a match day. Obviously I went out there prepared to play two and a half sets. "You can't just go out there be like, 'Yeah, I'm going to hold (serve)'. What happens if you don't?" The big-serving Shelton has enjoyed a consistent run in the Grand Slams, now having reached at least the third round in his last eight appearances, including a semi-final run in Australia at the beginning of the year, his second major semi. Shelton will play lucky loser Marton Fucsovics in the next round after the Hungarian also completed a resumed match against French veteran Gael Monfils. Victory in that would see the American match his best result at Wimbledon, having reached the last 16 this time last year.
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Ben Shelton needs just 69 seconds to complete match halted on Thursday night
Shelton, the 10th seed, was one game from victory on Thursday evening when umpire Nacho Forcadell called a halt to the match due to fading light at 9.29pm. The pair returned on Friday afternoon and after going through the standard five-minute warm-up, Shelton began with an ace. His next serve was wide, but Australian Hijikata's return on the second serve was long. The Court Two crowd were treated to three aces from Ben Shelton (Ben Whitley/PA) Two more aces followed to wrap up a 6-2 7-5 6-4 win in just over a minute, around 18 hours after the match started. 'I thought it was a great match,' smiled the 22-year-old. 'Thanks to everybody for staying late, and for coming back. 'I was hoping to hit a few groundstrokes, so I might have to go back to the practice courts. 'I missed one first serve, so some things to be upset about and improve for the next round.' Shelton will face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the third round.
