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Watch: Ben Shelton Reacts to Match Suspension
Jul 1, 2025; Wimbledon, UNITED KINGDOM; Ben Shelton of the United States celebrates winning his match against Alex Bolt of Australia on day two at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Watch: Ben Shelton Reacts to Match Suspension

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI  |  By Cam Parker  |  Last updated Jul 4, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Just four points away from securing a win in his second-round match at Wimbledon, former Florida Gators star Ben Shelton fell victim to Mother Nature and tournament officials.

Set to serve at 6-2, 7-5, 5-4 against Rinky Hijikata, Shelton, the ATP No. 10 player, was moments away from advancing to the third-round for the second year in a row before a tournament official made his way to the court and announced the match had been suspended due to darkness.

Shelton quickly expressed his displeasure with the decision, which came at 9:29 p.m. London time, and his reaction was quickly caught by ESPN cameras.

Shelton's displeasure came after both he and Hijikata discussed suspending the match at the start of the third set and again three games later, but Wimbledon officials told the two to play on, only to suspend the match anyways with Shelton four points away from the win.

The former Gator did not speak to the media after the suspension but did make a brief statement in an Instagram post.

"They ain’t wanna see anything else from me tonight but I’ll see yall tomorrow," Shelton wrote.

Shelton will get his chance to finish his second-round match on Friday after the scheduled matches are complete. He will look to advance to his second-straight third round after a fourth-round finish in 2024.

In two years with the Gators, Shelton amassed a 65-10 record in singles matches while helping Florida win two SEC titles and a team national title in 2021. He personally won the 2022 NCAA singles championship and was the National Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Years that season.

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This article first appeared on Florida Gators on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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