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. Yet, 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.”
2024 Wimbledon Ben Shelton USA *** 2024 Wimbledon Ben Shelton USA
The post Ben Shelton Fumes at Chair Umpire Over Opponent’s Behaviour at Wimbledon: ‘Keep an Eye On Him’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.