Ben Shelton Fumes at Chair Umpire Over Opponent’s Behaviour at Wimbledon: ‘Keep an Eye On Him’

There was plenty at stake as Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Sonego battled for a coveted spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals: an achievement neither had reached before. And with high stakes came high tension. The stylish Italian snatched the first set 6-3 from the 10th seed, but that only seemed to ignite Shelton, who responded with a dominant 6-1 win in the second set. As the match continued, the action wasn’t just confined to the rallies—drama unfolded beyond the baseline, too.

Shelton grew visibly frustrated with the amount of time the Italian was taking between points. According to Express UK, during a changeover, he voiced his concerns to chair umpire Alison Hughes, saying, “No matter what, he will never start before it’s down to 3, 2, 1.” And just when Shelton had all the momentum after breezing through the second set, Sonego opted for an off-court bathroom break, one that didn’t go unnoticed.

The American again turned to Hughes, this time asking about the rules around bathroom breaks in a best-of-five contest. “Just confirming how many toilet breaks you’re allowed to take,” commentator Andrew Castle explained to viewers. “Now what he’s saying there is, this guy, Sonego, is doing this again to me. He’s saying just keep an eye on him. He’s working the umpire here, and that’s fine.”

Ben Shelton had already had plenty of drama with umpires earlier in the tournament, when his second-round match against Rinky Hijikata got suspended for darkness when Shelton was about to serve for the match at 5-4 in the third set. Tour supervisor Ali Nili had to hold the American back as he approached the umpire, understandably upset about the timing. But Shelton returned the next day and won a 70-second service game, then joked that Nili thought he was going to “throw hands”. Wimbledon defended the decision, with tournament director Jamie Baker saying it had been “extremely dark”.

And he soon closed out this match too, reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinal for the first time. And he’s officially one-upped his Dad!

Ben Shelton wrapped up a dramatic four-setter against Lorenzo Sonego with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(1), 7-5 win. The 23-year-old dropped his first set of the tournament, looking a bit off-kilter early on. But the big-serving lefty flipped the switch fast, charging the net, finding his rhythm, and bulldozing through a one-sided second set. A clinical tie-break followed in the third, and then came the final blow: a roaring break of serve to close out the match and complete a personal hat-trick over Sonego, whom he’s now beaten at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon this year.

He also created a slice of family history in the process. His father, Bryan Shelton, a former pro and now his coach, never quite made it this far at the All England Club. Thirty-one years ago, Bryan Shelton reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, only to fall heartbreakingly short, losing 10-8 in the fifth set to Christian Bergstrom.

Top Comment by Excaspat

Nothing to sporting the about Shelton. Screaming the and shouting at should be banned.

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Bryan, who won two ATP singles and two doubles titles as a player, turned to coaching after retiring in 1997. He led the Georgia Tech women’s team to an NCAA title in 2007 and later coached the Florida Gators men’s team to championship glory in 2021. But when his son decided to go pro, Bryan stepped away from college coaching to guide Ben full-time.

Now, the student has surpassed the master. Up next for Shelton? A quarterfinal clash against the winner of Jannik Sinner and Grigor Dimitrov. Follow the Championships in real-time with EssentiallySports’ Live Blog updates.