
Wimbledon: Ben Shelton needs four points and about a minute to wrap up a win
'Very different playing over two days and coming out for whatever that was — 55 seconds? — today,' the 10th-seeded Shelton said. 'I was hoping to maybe hit a few groundstrokes today. I might have to go to the practice courts.'
The American, who reached the final four at the 2023 U.S. Open and this year's Australian Open, was about to try to serve out the match on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. when action was halted at No. 2 Court, which does not have a roof or artificial lights.
They came back out to the same stadium a little less than 16 hours later and, after a warmup period that was quite a bit longer the resumption of actual play, Shelton began with a 141 mph ace. The 22-year-old left-hander then hit a second serve that resulted in a framed return by Hijikata, followed with an ace at 140 mph and one more at 118 mph to end things quickly.
'You come out here, serving for the match, the nerves are there a little bit. To hit three aces and take the pressure off of myself, I couldn't have been happier with what I came out here and did,' said Shelton, who will face 105th-ranked Marton Fucsovics of Hungary for a chance to reach the fourth round at the All England Club for the second consecutive year.
Shelton told the crowd: 'I'm sorry that you guys didn't really get to see much tennis.'
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
Right before things were halted Thursday, Shelton held three match points while leading 5-3 and at love-40 on Hijikata's serve. But but the 87th-ranked Hijikata grabbed the next five points to extend the contest.
Shelton faced only three break points against Hijikata, saving all of them.
'A great match,' he said. 'A clean match.'
___
Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Winnipeg Free Press
25 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
ICC appoints Sanjog Gupta as new chief executive
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The International Cricket Council has appointed top Indian broadcaster Sanjog Gupta as its new chief executive officer. Gupta will replace Geoff Allardice, who resigned in January after serving for four years. 'Sanjog is a highly respected figure in global media and entertainment and sports ecosystems and joins the ICC with more than two decades of cross-functional experience,' the ICC said in a statement Monday. Gupta joined Star India (now JioStar) in 2010 and a decade later became head of sports at Disney and Star India. He was appointed as CEO of JioStar Sports last November. 'It is a privilege to have this opportunity, especially at a time when cricket is poised for unprecedented growth and enjoys the passionate support of almost two billion fans worldwide,' said Gupta, who cited commercial growth and progression of the women's game. 'Cricket's inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the rapid acceleration of technology deployment/adoption could act as force-multipliers for the cricket movement around the world,' he added. ICC chairman Jay Shah hoped Gupta's extensive experience in sports strategy and commercialization will be invaluable for the ICC. 'We considered several exceptional candidates for this position, but the nominations committee unanimously recommended Sanjog,' Shah said. ___ AP cricket:


Winnipeg Free Press
39 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ricky Hatton, 46, to make boxing comeback in Dubai
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Ricky Hatton, the 46-year-old former two-weight world champion, will return to the ring to fight in the United Arab Emirates in December, 13 years after he retired. The Manchester native, who turns 47 in October, will face Eisa Al Dah in Dubai on Dec. 2, it has been announced. Hatton (45-3) has not fought since losing in his last comeback bout to Vyacheslav Senchenko in November 2012. 'Fight! Fight! Fight! It's official,' Hatton posted on X. He won world titles at welterweight and light-welterweight, with his other two losses coming against pound-for-pound greats Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. He is the latest former champion to announce a comeback long after retirement in a growing market for such events, with Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr. and Julio César Chávez Jr. all making lucrative returns. Al Dah, also 46, has not fought since 2021 and only once since 2012. But he was adamant it will be action packed. 'It will not be like the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight,' Al Dah said. It will be a true fight. True action and I will do my best.' Hatton became a British sporting hero after winning epic battles against Kostya Tszyu, José Luis Castillo and Paulie Malignaggi. They earned him clashes with Mayweather and Pacquiao — but both ended in knockout defeats. He retired for the first time after his brutal second round knockout defeat against Pacquiao in 2009, but returned more than three years later and fought Ukrainian Senchenko at the Manchester Arena. That fight also ended in defeat with a ninth-round stoppage that left Hatton in tears. Since retiring, Hatton has trained other fighters in his Manchester gym. He said he hoped his fight would lead to more being staged in Dubai. 'There's a market for it,' he said, 'and I think it'll be a sensational evening.' ___ James Robson is at


Toronto Star
4 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Wimbledon's expansion plan heads to court while facing opposition from local residents
LONDON (AP) — Novak Djokovic calls it a 'win-win.' Carlos Alcaraz says it's a 'great idea.' Wimbledon's major expansion plan includes adding an 8,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof and 38 other grass courts at a former golf course across the street that would allow the All England Club to move its qualifying event and hold it on-site — as the other Grand Slam tournaments do — to boost attendance and revenue.