Ben Shelton Gets Emotional Over Girlfriend Trinity Rodman’s Touching US Open Gesture

Though he failed to capture his first Grand Slam title in Sunday’s US Open final against Alexander Zverev, many still considered Ben Shelton a winner.

The 23-year-old rising tennis star fell to Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2, but his girlfriend, U.S. Women’s National Team and Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman, ended up making it to Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, despite having an NWSL match earlier that day.

Many assumed because of her own career, Rodman would be a no-show for Shelton’s big moment.

Ben Shelton Gets Emotional After Trinity Rodman Made it US Open Final

Rodman had been a US Open mainstay, showing up to support Shelton for most of his matches as he won his way to the final, including his thrilling quarterfinal win over defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz that ended at 3:33 a.m. — the latest finish in tournament history.

Multiple reports indicated that Rodman wouldn’t be at Shelton’s match on Sunday because of Washington’s match against Boston Legacy FC. However, that didn’t stop Rodman from boarding a plane immediately after her match and bolting from D.C. to New York to support her man.

Though Shelton vs. Zverev kicked off without Rodman in the stands, she showed up toward the end of the match in a show of support that Shelton took to heart.

“It means everything,” he said. “I knew she was coming — I knew it was going to be pretty close to impossible to get here, but even just making the effort and trying is insane.

"She kind of showed up as I was losing, which for her probably sucked, but we’ve made a lot of sacrifices for each other, we’ve traveled the world to try to support each other when we can — it means a lot. That’s why I’m out here doing this. That’s why I enjoy it so much and that’s why I want to get over the line for.”

We can't get enough of Trinity Rodman and Ben Shelton ❤️

(via @TennisTV, @NWSL) pic.twitter.com/nyGc4PphyD
— espnW (@espnW) September 14, 2026

Rodman’s last-second appearance even earned her a tip of the cap from Zverev, who didn’t seem too upset that she wasn’t there for the entirety of the match.

"Trinity, I thought you have a game today," Zverev joked. "Well done to you as well. You're the lucky charm ... not today, but usually."

Shelton and Rodman’s Relationship Has Been Front and Center at US Open

There are many power couples in professional sports — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and wife Taylor Swift, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and wife Hailee Steinfeld, Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert and fiancee Madison Beer, Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson and Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and NFL husband Jonathan Owens — but Shelton and Rodman have the sports world’s most recent “it couple.”

The two started dating in March of last year when Rodman slid into Shelton’s DMs.

They began dropping relationship hints on Instagram over the next few days before hard-launching their relationship on March 17 by posting a photo together.

The internet went crazy after the news broke, and Shelton admitted to the New York Post he was a bit surprised at just how much attention his love life was getting.

“I feel like, you know, posting your girlfriend on Instagram is a more normal thing,” Shelton said. “I guess because of who it is, is why people went nuts a little bit. But yeah, kinda crazy how much it did blow up… and I realized, ‘wow, people care about my life that much.’ But yeah, [we’re] happy for sure.”

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