Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: It took Benjamin Shelton just 71 seconds to punch his ticket to the third round at Wimbledon on July 4. The American was already in command, leading Rinky Hijikata 6-2, 7-5, 5-4 when their match was halted on July 3 night due to fading light. Sixteen hours later, Shelton strode back onto No. 2 Court with one goal: finish it quickly. Four crisp swings of the racquet later, it was game, set, and match as per ATP. “He [the supervisor] said it was a five-minute warning until Hawk-Eye went down. was telling him, ‘I only need 60 seconds.’
That was kind of my goal when I went out there today,” Shelton explained of the decision to suspend play
Shelton recounted the conversation with a smile, recalling his confusion over why the match couldn’t continue. “I’m like, ‘I’m already serving for the match.’ At that point, I was not as upset about the decision,” he added. Despite his dominant position in the match, the 22-year-old admitted that switching off overnight was nearly impossible.
“When you’re in the middle of a match, you’re thinking about what you did, what you could have done, how you could have been off the court, what you’re going to do when you get back out there,” Shelton said. “For me, it’s what my game plan is going to be for that one service game to make sure that I hold. You can’t really completely switch off.”
