Wimbledon: Shelton reaches the quarterfinals with his sister still around and now faces Sinner

LONDON (AP) — Ben Shelton reached his first Wimbledon quarterfinal — doing a round better than his father-turned coach, Bryan, did in 1994 — by beating Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 7-5 on Monday.

Shelton, a 22-year-old American who won the 2022 NCAA singles title for the University of Florida, improved to 3-0 against Italy's Sonego in Grand Slam action this season. It’s the first time two men faced each other in a year’s initial three majors since John McEnroe went 3-0 against Jimmy Connors in 1984.

The 10th-seeded Shelton also eliminated Sonego in the Australian Open's quarterfinals in January, and the French Open's first round in May.

“Every time I need a big point, he comes up with a highlight shot,” Shelton said, “and maybe the same, vice versa.”

Shelton finished this latest meeting with a flourish, breaking the 47th-ranked Sonego to avoid heading to a tiebreaker, then throwing his head back, yelling “Come on!” and pounding his chest.

“I’m happy with the way that I played that last game. I feel like that was my best tennis, my best returning, and that’s what I'm going to need to continue in this tournament,” said Shelton, who advanced to a matchup against No. 1 Jannik Sinner. “So for me to end the match with that sort of game gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.”

Sinner hurt his right elbow on a fall in the first game Monday and lost the first two sets, but advanced when No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov stopped in the third because of a chest muscle injury.

Shelton has lost his last five matchups against Sinner, all in straight sets, including in Wimbledon's fourth round a year ago and in the Australian Open semifinals in January.

“The guy’s a machine,” Shelton said.

Up in the stands at No. 1 Court were Shelton's parents, his sister Emma — who stuck around at the All England Club after he made a public plea for her not to have to return to her job at Morgan Stanley on Monday, as originally planned — and his girlfriend, U.S. national soccer team star Trinity Rodman.

“I've got a lot of people that I love over there,” Shelton said during his on-court interview.

He credited his father with inspiring the way he plays on grass courts.

“He was in the round of 16 here — 31 years ago? Give or take. He was a serve-and-volleyer. Big serve. Came forward all the time. He would like to see me coming forward a little bit more than I am. My argument is I think I'm better than him from the baseline,” Shelton said.

But he's also showing that he has a knack for success on the slick surface, doing the sorts of things that constitute what Shelton termed “vintage style” tennis of moving forward and cutting off angles and generally being “a little bit unpredictable."

Against Sonego, Shelton won the point on 43 of his 58 trips to the net, including 11 of 17 when serve-and-volleying.

If he can produce those sorts of numbers in his next match, that could help get him to a third career Grand Slam semifinal, after the 2023 U.S. Open and this year's Australian Open.

Lorenzo Sonego of Italy waves to the crowd after losing the men's singles fourth round match against Ben Shelton of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Shelton's parents Bryan Shelton and Lisa Witsken Shelton, from left, girlfriend Trinity Rodman and sister Emma Shelton watch Ben Shelton of the U.S. winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Ben Shelton of the U.S. celebrates winning the men's singles fourth round match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)