Wimbledon criticized for postponing match at crucial moment

On the evening of July 3, Ben Shelton could not hide his anger when his match with Rinky Hijikata was suddenly postponed. Notably, it happened right at the moment he was about to serve in the deciding game.

The match between Ben Shelton and Rinky Hijikata was postponed due to darkness - Photo: REUTERS

Specifically, at 9:30 p.m. (local time), Shelton argued heatedly with officials at Wimbledon when his match was paused. It was right at the moment he was about to serve to end the match.

At that time, the world number 10 was very close to winning against Australian opponent Rinky Hijikata. Specifically, when he was leading 6-2, 7-5, 5-4, the match had to be postponed because it was getting dark and there was no longer enough light to continue the match.

The young American expressed his anger at the postponement, especially since the matter had been discussed since the start of the third set and three more games after that. Both players will have to return to the court the following day to complete their second round match.

An official had to step in to stop Shelton, who was extremely dissatisfied with the referee on Court 2. Shelton and many spectators also expressed their anger. Notably, Shelton and Hijikata had discussed suspending the match at the beginning of the third game and again three games later. However, the officials asked them to continue playing.

Shelton was extremely angry at the Wimbledon Organizing Committee's decision to postpone the match - Photo: REUTERS

Despite the lighting conditions on the court being a concern for both players, they continued until Shelton was on the verge of victory. The suspension of matches at night has become a hot topic in Wimbledon's opening week this year.

On June 30, Taylor Fritz was also asked to stop the match at 10:20 p.m. instead of entering the fifth set when facing Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Fritz believed that there was still enough time to finish the match before the 11 p.m. curfew.

TUAN LONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/wimbledon-bi-chi-trich-vi-hoan-tran-dau-o-thoi-diem-then-chot-20250704115647701.htm