BBC viewers voiced their frustration after live Wimbledon coverage was interrupted

BBC viewers were left outraged after a Wimbledon match was pulled from screens.

The prestigious tournament at SW19 has officially moved into its second week, following several days of thrilling action.

The drama continued on Monday (July 6) when Arthur Fery became the first British wild card to reach the quarter finals, defeating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in a nail-biting five-set encounter on Centre Court.

With the match running considerably over schedule, Alexander Zverev and Jiri Lehecka didn't step onto the court until 8.40pm. Unfortunately, play was suspended mid-way through the third set due to Wimbledon's strict 11pm curfew, enforced by Merton Council.

Zverev and Lehecka spent 42 minutes battling it out during the first set and 54 minutes in the second. Lehecka then took an extended toilet break, with the third set getting underway at 10.32pm, just 25 minutes before play was halted. Yet the BBC's coverage ended even earlier than the match itself, reports the Express.

Despite the match not concluding until 10.56pm, live coverage on BBC Two was pulled during the second set at 10pm, making way for a repeat episode of Mortimer and Whithouse: Gone Fishing.

As Zverev pressed on with his service game, presenter Clare Balding announced: "Well, this is a match that looks highly unlikely to finish before the 11 o'clock curfew and we are getting close to our off air time here on BBC Two. So, coverage of this will continue on iPlayer.

"Alexander Zverev, the Roland Garros champion, having taken the first set 6-4 and looking pretty strong on serve. That continues on iPlayer, so if, along with Roger Federer, you want to keep locked onto this one, you can do so. Just select Centre Court from your iPlayer menu."

Clare then proceeded to guide viewers through the day's results before signing off for the evening. However, supporters were swiftly left irritated by the broadcaster's decision to screen a Gone Fishing repeat instead of live Wimbledon action.

"Why is Wimbledon going off mainstream TV when it says it is on until 10.30?" one exasperated viewer questioned on X (formerly Twitter).

Another posted: "You don't want to hear my language at the moment," while a third remarked: "BBC do it again I'm watching Zverev and it goes to IPlayer."

A fourth supporter sarcastically observed: "A fishing program is more important than Wimbledon."

Meanwhile, other supporters weren't pleased about the curfew itself, believing it was unfair on the players, who won't receive a day's rest ahead of their next match in the tournament.

"So the Zverev Lehecka couldn't end yesterday.. Wimbledon has such a permanent timing problem. Maybe the only tournament where matches cannot properly end in one day time EVEN if there is no rain issue at all. Feel this is sort of lack of respect for the players," one individual posted, with another bluntly declaring: "It's ridiculous."

Coverage of Wimbledon broadcasts on BBC One and BBC Two, and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer