American tennis player Ben Shelton expressed frustration when his Wimbledon second-round match against Rinky Hijikata was suspended due to darkness despite being just one game away from victory. The match was halted at 9:30 PM due to the bd light on the outside courts, with Shelton leading 6-2, 7-5, 5-4 on No.2 Court.The suspension came at a crucial moment when Shelton was preparing to serve for the match. The 22-year-old player immediately confronted the chair umpire about the decision, requiring intervention from another rules official who had to explain the ruling while restraining him.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The match was taking place on Court No.2, which lacks both a roof and artificial lighting capabilities. The timing of the suspension particularly sparked controversy as it followed a 30-minute discussion about whether to continue play into the third set.The ESPN broadcasting team expressed their disbelief at the situation during their live coverage. “Oh my goodness. This is unbelievable,” the commentary team stated as the events unfolded.
Fans took to social media to voice their concerns over the decision to move the match a day later. One fan posted on X: “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.”Another fan expressed their frustration: “Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE they’re suspending Ben Shelton / Rinky Hijikata. For a major not to be able to continue beyond 9:30 is absolutely insane. This is beyond comprehension right now.”A third fan supported Shelton’s reaction: “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.”As Shelton left the court, he acknowledged the crowd with a fist pump and showed appreciation for their support. The match is scheduled to resume on Friday, July 4.What time is the Wimbledon curfew? Why is it imposed?
Taylor Fritz’s match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was suspended due to the curfew at Wimbledon in London. (AP)
While not true in this case, Wimbledon has a curfew time that was imposed during Taylor Fritz’s first round match against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.The Wimbledon curfew is strictly set for 11 pm local time. This rule was introduced in 2009 when the Centre Court’s roof was opened. In a 2018 statement, Wimbledon explained the purpose of the curfew: “The 11 p.m. curfew is a Planning Condition designed to balance the needs of local residents with the demands of hosting an international tennis tournament in a residential area. Considerations such as transportation and ensuring spectators can get home safely are also important factors.”While the curfew is usually enforced without exception, there have been instances where it has been broken. In 2012, Andy Murray won his match against Marcos Baghdatis at 11:02 pm. The umpire decided to allow Murray to complete the final game rather than waiting until the next day to finish it.
