Wimbledon: Shelton completes win over Hijikata in 70 seconds after overnight delay

Ben Shelton, the No 10 seed, reached the third round of Wimbledon by beating Australian Rinky Hijikata 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

The American had led 5-4 in the third, having won the first two, with a chance to serve out a straight-sets victory before play was suspended overnight for bad light.

It was a decision that did not go down well with Shelton, and it is easy to see why. While light was fading, there was clearly time to see play continue for one more game if it meant Shelton could wrap up a win and earn a full day off today.

The only thing I was thinking about today was holding serve

Yet both players were forced to come back this afternoon for what proved to be the final game – one that Shelton wrapped up in 70 seconds with three aces to compound the bizarreness of last night’s decision.

After the match, during a press conference that was 15 times longer than his field apperance, Shelton denied an evential wind to “send a message and have a little bit of race in the clock” as a reporter asked him.

“Some people were talking about it after the match. It wasn’t at all a single thought in my head. I got upset last night. I was completely over it. The only thing I was thinking about today was holding serve, how I was going to hold serve, and putting it in my mind that it was going to be tough and he was going to make every return, and I was going to have to come up with stuff from the baseline or the net. I was just competing, trying to win the match.”

Shelton, ranked No 10, will play Hungarian lucky loser Marton Fucsovics next. He defeated Gael Monfils in two sets as well.

London (Grand Slam), other second-round results (All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, grass, GBP 53.500.000, most recent results first):

• Marton Fucsovics beat Gael Monfils: 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4
• Jannik Sinner (1) beat Aleksandar Vukic: 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
• Lorenzo Sonego beat Nikoloz Basilashvili (Q): 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4)
• Marin Cilic beat Jack Draper (4): 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
• Sebastian Ofner beat Tommy Paul (13): 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 7-5
• Brandon Nakashima (29) beat Reilly Opelka: 7-5, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3
• Pedro Martinez Portero beat Mariano Navone: 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (6)
• Luciano Darderi beat Arthur Fery (WC): 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
• August Holmgren (Q) beat Tomas Machac (21): 7-6 (5), 6-7 (8), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5)
• Novak Djokovic (6) beat Daniel Evans (WC): 6-3, 6-2, 6-0
• Jan-Lennard Struff beat Felix Auger-Aliassime (25): 3-6, 7-6 (9), 6-3, 6-4
• Arthur Rinderknech beat Cristian Garin (LL): 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3
• Jaume Munar beat Fabian Marozsan: 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (9)
• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (26) beat Botic van de Zandschulp: 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5)
• Grigor Dimitrov (19) beat Corentin Moutet: 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
• Alex De Minaur (11) beat Arthur Cazaux (Q): 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0
• Jakub Mensik (15) beat Marcos Giron: 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4)
• Miomir Kecmanovic beat Jesper De Jong: 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
• Flavio Cobolli (22) beat Jack Pinnington Jones (WC): 6-1, 7-6 (6), 6-2
• Taylor Fritz (5) beat Gabriel Diallo: 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3
• Kamil Majchrzak beat Ethan Quinn: 6-1, 6-4, 6-3
• Mattia Bellucci beat Jiri Lehecka (23): 7-6 (4), 6-1, 7-5
• Jordan Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi: 7-5, 6-7 (2), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
• Carlos Alcaraz (2) beat Oliver Tarvet (Q): 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
• Nuno Borges beat Billy Harris: 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7)
• Andrey Rublev (14) beat Lloyd Harris: 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3
• Karen Khachanov (17) beat Shintaro Mochizuki (Q): 1-6, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Adrian Mannarino (Q) beat Valentin Royer (Q): 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (1)
• Nicolas Jarry (Q) beat Learner Tien: 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
• Cameron Norrie beat Frances Tiafoe (12): 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
• Joao Fonseca beat Jenson Brooksby: 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4