Shelton Punches Wimbledon Third-Round Ticket In 71 Seconds

Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton (photo: Wimbledon video)

WIMBLEDON/WASHINGTON, July 4, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

As Americans celebrated the Independence Day holiday back home in the United States with parades, back-yard barbecues and fireworks, across the Atlantic at the Wimbledon Championships, a trio of Americans – Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Amanda Anisimova – celebrated their July 4th holiday on the tennis court. Each player was victorious. While Fritz took the scenic route to move into the second week of the grass-court major and Anisimova finished strong, Shelton needed to win just four points to advance on Friday.

First, the No. 10 seed Shelton required  just 71 seconds to complete his second-round match against Rinky Hijikata that was suspended due to darkness Thursday evening on No. 2 Court. That’s far less time than it took for Shelton and Hijikata to warm up Friday for the resumption.

Play halted at 9:29 p.m. London time with the American No. 2 leading the Australian, 6-2, 7-5, 5-4, preparing to serve for the match. Shelton had earned three match points on Hijikata’s service game in the last game before play was halted but was unable to convert any of them. By the time play was stopped, daylight had faded and the court had become slippery for both players.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon, and 16 hours later, after a five-minute warm-up, Shelton closed out the 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory by serving three aces, including on match point, to win at love.

“He [the supervisor] said it was a five-minute warning until Hawk-Eye went down,” Shelton said during his on-court interview, giving an explanation of the supervisor’s decision to suspend play Thursday evening. “I was telling him, ‘I only need 60 seconds.’ That was kind of my goal when I went out there today.”

The 22-year-old Shelton added: “I’m like, ‘I’m already serving for the match.’ At that point I was not as upset about the decision.”

Shelton, whose serve has not been broken since the first round, finished with 11 aces and 47 winners overall, won 29 of 37 net points and converted four of 12 break points against Hijikata. He outpointed his opponent 108-83. It was Shelton’s second-straight win over an Australian opponent during the British fortnight after defeating 179th-ranked qualifier Alex Bolt in the first round on Tuesday.

“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,” said Shelton, who has reached the third round for the second straight year. “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.”

Shelton will be back on court Saturday to face 105th-ranked lucky loser Marton Fucsovics of Hungary, who completed the final set of his suspended match against No. 48 Gaël Monfils of France with a 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory in three hours and 43 minutes on Court 18. Fucsovics overcame 77 unforced errors to hit 46 winners and benefited from 54 unforced errors by Monfils.

Next, after enduring a pair of five-set thrillers to reach the third round, fifth-seeded Fritz advanced to the round of 16 by dominating No. 26 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1, in three hours and 12 minutes on Centre Court.

Twice during the third-set, Fritz received a medical timeout to treat a cut on his right elbow that he suffered while diving on the grass.

“It’s getting pretty annoying having to stop all the time,” Fritz said during his on-court interview, smiling as he spoke. “I feel bad for my opponent when I keep having to stop all the time, but you can only really do it on grass. I’m just really determined to get some of these balls, and eventually I’m going to win one of these points.”

After failing to serve out the win at 5-3 in the third set, the recent Eastbourne champion came alive in the final set to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon for the third time. In the next round, Fritz will play No. 44 Jordan Thompson of Australia, who defeated No. 59 Luciano Darderi of Italy, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in two hours and 53 minutes on Court 18 to reach the fourth round of at Wimbledon for the first time.

It was the shortest of Thompson’s three wins and the first one that didn’t require five sets. He hit 54 winners – including 19 aces – and outpointed Darderi 127-116 to move into the fourth round.

Alcaraz extends career-best winning streak to 21

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain kept his hopes of a Wimbledon three-peat alive after defeating 125th-ranked Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, on Centre Court Friday evening. Alcaraz’s 21st-straight victory, a career-best streak, advanced him into Sunday’s fourth round against No. 14 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia, who beat 123rd-ranked French qualifier Adrian Mannarino, 7-5, 6-2, 6-3, in a minute under two hours on No. 3 Court.

Alcaraz has now won 17 straight matches at the All England Club. After a second-set wobble, the 22-year-old Spaniard gained an early break and dropped just four points on his serve during the third set. Then, Alcaraz broke for a 5-4 lead in the fourth set and served out the third-round victory. By winning in four sets, it prevented Alcaraz from facing a second five-set match during the tournament, after needing to go five to defeat Fabio Fognini of Italy in the first round on Monday.

“I was suffering in every service game I did today,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview. “Love 30, break points down. It was stressful. He kept pushing me. I kind of survived and I am really happy that I got the break and it was done.”

Alcaraz is attempting to become just the fifth man in the Open Era to win three-straight Wimbledon titles.

“I knew at the beginning it was going to be really difficult,” Alcaraz said. “That I would have to be really focused on every shot and on my service games and return. I think his game suits pretty well to the grass. Big serves. Approaching the net as much as he can. I am really pleased with everything that I have done today. Fighting, running, making great shots. I tried to make the opportunities he gave to me in the match and I am just proud with the way I won in four sets.”

Jarry enjoying a resurgence at Wimbledon

Unseeded Nicolas Jarry of Chile has enjoyed a resurgence at Wimbledon that has lifted the World No. 143 into the second week of play at the All England Club.

After coming through three rounds of qualifying last week, he came from two sets down to stun No. 8 seed Holger Rune in the first round. Then, a straight-set win over No. 62 Learner Tien of the United States set up a first-time meeting with fellow South American and fast-rising star Joao Fonseca of Brazil.

Jarry needed three hours and eight minutes, but he prevailed over the 54th-ranked Brazilian teenager, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) to advance to the fourth round. He’s the sixth Chilean man to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, including his own grandfather, Jaime Fillol, who made to the round of 16 in 1974.

By the end of Friday’s match, Jarry had held his nerve and accumulated 25 aces and 52 total winners. He won 79 percent of his first-serve points and converted two of seven break points. He overcame 42 unforced errors and outpointed Fonseca 139-126. At 18, Fonseca was the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon third round since 2011.

Upon securing match point, Jarry raced over the corner of No. 2 Court and shared a lengthy hug his wife and young son. It was a happy moment for 29-year-old Chilean from Santiago, who had never made it past the third round in five previous Wimbledon appearances.

“It’s been one year of battle,” Jarry said, fighting back the tears, hampered by a nerve disorder in his ear – vestibular neuritis – an inflammation of the vestibular nerve, which connects the inner ear to the brain. Although it’s usually caused by a viral infection, Jarry’s symptoms (according to the ATP Tour website) have included a sudden onset of vertigo as well as dizziness and the difficulty for him just to maintain balance.

Next, Jarry will face No. 61 Cameron Norrie of Great Britain, the lone Brit remaining in the men’s draw following defeats for four of his compatriots on Thursday. Norrie, a semifinalist at the All England Club in 2022, advanced with a 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 73 Mattia Bellucci of Italy in two hours and 28 minutes on No. 1 Court. Norrie took advantage of six break points against Bellucci as well as 54 unforced errors by his opponent. He outpointed Bellucci 113-98.

Around the All England Club

Women:

• It’s been nine years since Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova last reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Now, after defeating four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, in two hours and three minutes on No. 2 Court, the 50th-ranked Russian is a win away from returning to the last eight.

After defeating 31st-seeded American Ashlyn Krueger in the previous round, the just-turned 34-year-old Pavlyuchenkova improved her lifetime win-loss record at the All England Club to 18-15. Against Osaka, she withstood 15 aces from the Japanese icon, hit 31 winners and converted five of eight break points, including in the final game of the match. Pavlyuchenkova outpointed Osaka 93-87.

“It feels almost yesterday I was the youngest on tour,” Pavlyuchenkova said during her post-match news conference. “I was taking everything for granted. Every match I was winning I was like, pffft, just another match I won. Third round of a Slam, pffft. I was not appreciating anything because it was coming too easy. But I started to appreciate every match and every moment. A few months ago I couldn’t even practice. Then you think, maybe you will never have this moment again.

“I also don’t know how much is left in my career because I am very old now. It’s something I want to take to the fullest, so I don’t have regrets afterwards.”

Next, Pavlyuchenkova will play 51st-ranked British hopeful Sonay Kartal, who ended the run 118th-ranked or qualifier Diane Parry of France, 6-4, 6-2, in one hour and 22 minutes on No. 1 Court. Kartal hit 16 winners and converted four of nine break points. She outpointed Parry 64-46.

• Also advancing to the second week is 104th-ranked Laura Siegemund of Germany, who upset No. 6 seed Madison Keys of the United States, 6-3, 6-3, in an hour and 33 minutes on No. 2 Court for her third Wimbledon victory in five days, surpassing her previous win total at the All England Club in six previous appearances at the grass-court major.

Siegemund won 53 percent of her receiving points and broke Keys’s serve five times in 13 opportunities. She hit 19 winners, made just 11 unforced errors and took advantage of 31 unforced errors by the reigning Australian Open champion. Siegemund, 37, the oldest remaining player in the women’s draw, outpointed her opponent 71-55.

Next, Siegemund will face 101st-ranked lucky loser Solana Sierra of Argentina, who advanced over No. 102 Cristina Bucsa of Spain, 7-5, 1-6, 6-1, in two hours and two minutes on Court 12. Sierra has strung together six straight victories between qualifying and the main draw.

• No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova advanced with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over 110th-ranked Hungarian Dalma Galfi in two hours and 19 minutes on No. 3 Court to move a win away from reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the second time in four years. Next, she’ll play No. 30 seed Linda Noskova of Czechia, who was a 7-6 (6), 7-5 winner over No. 80 Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia, in an hour and 51 minutes on Court 12.

• No. 24 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium moved into the fourth round after upsetting No. 14 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 6-1, 7-6 (4), in one hour and 39 minutes on No. 1 Court. Mertens hit 21 winners and outpointed Svitolina 78-61.

Next, Mertens will face World No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who needed two hours to defeat No. 40 Emma Raducanu of Great Britain, 7-6 (6), 6-4, Friday evening on Centre Court. Sabalenka struck 31 winners and converted four of 15 break points. She outpointed Raducanu 85-78.

Men:

• Also advancing to the fourth round were: No. 17 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia, who rallied from two sets-to-one down to pull out a five-set 7-6 (6), 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8) victory over No. 37 Nuno Borges of Portugal in three hours and 48 minutes on No. 3 Court. It took a 10-point match tie-break to decide the outcome of the third-round match.

By the end Khachanov outpointed Borges 173-167. Next, he will face No. 109th-ranked Kamil Majchrzak of Poland, who ended the run of No. 72 Arthur Rinderknech of France, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6), in two hours and 46 minutes on Court 12.

Majchrzak withstood 56 winners – including 19 aces – from Rinderknech and struck 50 winners of his own and outpointed the Frenchman 122-110. In his third Wimbledon and 15th Grand Slam overall, Majchrzak is through to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time.

Sonmez first Turkish player in Open Era to reach third round of a major

On Thursday, Zeynep Sonmez became the first Turkish player in the Open Era to reach the third round of a Grand Slam. The 23-year-old from Istanbul upset No. 32 Wang Xinyu of China, 7-5, 7-5, in one hour and 55 minutes on Court 17 to advance to the round of 32 on Saturday.

Since the Open Era of professional tennis began in 1968, no Turkish man or woman had made the third round of a major. However, Cagla Buyukakcay made the second round at three Grand Slams between 2016-17.

During a post-match interview, Sonmez said: “My mom and the people in my team told me there were videos where kids were watching me back at home, in tennis clubs on TV. I hope they get inspired or they feel like, ‘Oh, we can do that too.'”

The 88th-ranked Sonmez, who is 14-17 in all competitions this season and earlier defeated No. 52 Jaqueline Cristian of Romania, 7-6 (3), 6-3), next will face No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia on Saturday.

Friday’s Wimbledon results

Saturday’s Wimbledon order of play

By the numbers

Kamil Majchrzak is just the fifth Polish player in the Open Era to reach the men’s singles round of 16 at Wimbledon and the seventh Polish player in the Open Era to reach the men’s singles round of 16 at a Grand Slam.

“Quotable …”

“I’ve been really disappointed with the way my game’s been on the grass this year, in all honesty. I wasn’t feeling too great at Queen’s. I don’t know how I made the semis there and gave myself a chance of making the final.

“It highlighted to me this year that I really struggled on the grass. I felt great on the hard, felt great on the clay. My game, I felt like there weren’t many holes, whereas, as soon as I came onto the grass, I felt a big difference. So it’s just something that I’ve got to keep in mind, how I’m going to develop my game for the long-term for next year.”

– World No. 4 and fourth seed Jack Draper of Great Britain, during his post-match news conference Thursday, after losing to Marin Cilic of Croatia in the second round.

 

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