Ben Shelton proves Wimbledon decision foolish after quick final game

The American advanced to the third round at the All England Club for the second consecutive year after winning the final game without dropping a point.

His lightning-quick win underscores how foolish Wimbledon's decision to halt the match due to darkness the previous day was.

Shelton was set to serve for the match when officials suspended play, visibly frustrating the tournament's No. 10 seed.

Shelton was in a better mood following the match on Friday, joking on court afterward, "A lot more time was spent in preparation than the actual match."

"Sorry you guys didn't really get to see much tennis," he said while addressing spectators.

"I was hoping to maybe hit a few groundstrokes today, I might have to go to the practice courts," Shelton added. (h/t BBC)

The 22-year-old is playing in his third Wimbledon and has a 6-2 record at the major tournament. In 2024, Shelton reached the Round of 16, where he lost to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in straight sets after dropping a third-set tiebreak.

Shelton hasn't dropped a set at this year's Wimbledon and plays Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, 33, next. His second-round match, a five-setter against Gael Monfils, was also suspended on Thursday after Fucsovics won a fourth-set tiebreak before being picked back up on Friday.

Fucsovics made the Round of 128 despite losing to Chris Rodesch in his third qualifier when Borna Coric withdrew from the main field.

It will be the Wimbledon lucky loser's first career match against Shelton, who caught an unfortunate break when officials stopped his second-round match. He made his own luck, putting him in an excellent spot entering his weekend match.