American tennis star Ben Shelton barely broke a sweat when he returned to Court 2 on Friday, needing just over a minute to finish what he started the night before.
With only one service game standing between him and the third round, Shelton wrapped up his second-round match in a staggering 70 seconds, a move that had fans blasting Wimbledon officials for making him come back for something so brief.
Ben Shelton Caught in Wimbledon Controversy After Match Halted Near Victory
Shelton’s clash with Rinky Hijikata had been suspended late Thursday evening due to poor lighting. Shelton was in complete control then, leading two sets and 5-4, 40-0 on his serve. Just one more point and the match would have been his. Even though he could not capitalize on his three match points while Hijikata was serving at 5-3, Shelton earned another chance to close the match on his serve at 5-4.
The delay stirred controversy because both players had voiced concern about the dim conditions. But they were told to continue playing until officials stepped in at 9:29 p.m. local time, just as Shelton prepared to serve for the match.
Match between Ben Shelton vs Rinky Hijikata 6-2, 7-5, 5-4 suspended because of darkness at #Wimbledon
Shelton had 3 match points at 5-3 (40-0) on return and is not happy with the decision.
Play to resume on Friday. Schedule to be updated later. pic.twitter.com/DmYNEyGTvX
— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) July 3, 2025
The abrupt suspension didn’t sit well with Shelton, who was visibly frustrated during an exchange with the chair umpire after the call was made. Many fans and analysts on social media questioned why Wimbledon chose to halt the match rather than allow it to finish.
When play resumed Friday afternoon, Shelton made quick work of the moment. According to tennis insider Ben Rothenberg, the 22-year-old served three aces and hit one unreturnable serve to seal a 6-4 third-set win in just 70 seconds.
I timed it:
Ben Shelton took only 70 seconds to finish the match that was suspended at *5-4 in the third last night.
Three aces, one service winner.
Quick work at #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Nn1q72Wh8V
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 4, 2025
The anticlimactic conclusion stirred a flurry of reactions online, with fans calling out Wimbledon’s scheduling choices when its official X account shared the clip of Shelton’s win. “Utterly ridiculous having him come out to play for 70 seconds. Do better @Wimbledon,” one user posted.
Utterly ridiculous having him come out to play for 70 seconds. Do better @Wimbledon! https://t.co/JD1INK8PmK
— Xilicys (@Xilicys) July 4, 2025
Another chimed in, “Not even two minutes lmao,” summing up the frustration many felt.
Not even two minutes lmao
— connor bedard enthusiast (@cubbie_179) July 4, 2025
Others pointed out the inconsistency between Wimbledon and the other Grand Slams, where play often extends into the early hours. “Stupidest moment in the history of tennis,” a fan wrote. “They really couldn’t stay on court for 1 minute last night? Meanwhile, the other 3 Grand Slams continue until 3 and 4 a.m. Wimbledon is the worst slam of the 4.”
Stupidest moment in the history of tennis, they really couldn’t stay on court for 1 minute last night? Meanwhile the other 3 Grand Slams go on until 3 and 4am in the morning, Wimbeldon is the worst slam of the 4
— CFCDan (@DannCFC21) July 4, 2025
Another post called the decision “shocking” and “incomprehensible,” but praised Shelton for staying composed: “60 seconds. All it took for Ben to close out the match. Ridiculous decision last night by Wimbledon… Congrats to Ben for staying the course and keeping focused. Next stop round 3!”
Shelton himself vented his frustration with an Instagram post on Thursday night after the suspension. Sharing a set of match photos, he captioned it, “They ain’t wanna see anything else from me tonight but I’ll see yall tomorrow.”
Shelton advances to the third round, where he will face Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics, a lucky loser in the draw.
Shelton Apologizes to Wimbledon Crowd After Wrap-Up
In his post-match on-court interview, Shelton joked about the 70-second finish and also apologized to fans for the lack of tennis.
“For me, very different playing over two days and coming out for whatever that was… 55 seconds today. I was hoping to maybe hit a few groundstrokes today. Might have to go to the practice courts,” he said.
“I’m sorry you guys didn’t get to see much tennis.”
