Trinity Rodman Supports Ben Shelton in US Open Semifinal

On Friday night in New York, one of the brightest stars in American soccer will again slip quietly into a tennis stadium and watch another young U.S. talent swing for history.

Trinity Rodman is in the house as her boyfriend, Ben Shelton, takes on Frances Tiafoe in the US Open semifinal on Sept. 11, a clash that feels as much like a statement about the future of American tennis as it does a ticket to Sunday’s final.

Rodman, the Washington Spirit standout and a key figure for the U.S. women’s national team, has become a familiar face in Shelton’s player box over the past two weeks. She was there for his late-night epic against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, a bruising, breathless win that didn’t wrap up until after 3:30 a.m. ET. As Shelton walked off with one of the biggest victories of his career, Rodman was among the first to greet him.

Now the stakes climb again.

Shelton’s semifinal against fellow American Tiafoe offers a clear prize: a shot at No. 1 Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles final on Sunday, Sept. 13. Both Shelton and Tiafoe are hunting the same thing — a first Grand Slam title, the kind of trophy that rewrites résumés and expectations in a single afternoon.

The matchup comes with its own layered history. Shelton leads their head-to-head 3-1, including a win in Washington, D.C., one year ago on the same surface. Hardcourt, big stage, big swings — that one went Shelton’s way. Tiafoe, though, holds the edge where it once mattered most between them: he won their lone previous US Open meeting, a third-round match in 2024.

So they know each other. They’ve traded blows before. This one simply carries a different weight.

Rodman has ridden that wave with him throughout the tournament, carving out time in a packed calendar to be courtside. The couple went public with their relationship in March 2025, and almost immediately they became one of American sports’ new power pairings — a rising tennis star and a World Cup–level forward, each used to bright lights and high pressure in very different arenas.

Their support has run both ways. Rodman has appeared at numerous Shelton matches, while Shelton has slipped into the stands for USWNT and Spirit games when his schedule allows. It’s a balancing act built around travel, training, and the constant churn of elite competition.

Rodman has been candid about how demanding that can be.

"It's definitely hard … it's like, 'Oh my gosh, we don't get to see each other at all,'" she told USA TODAY Sports. The reality of two overlapping seasons means long stretches apart, FaceTime calls across time zones, and quick visits squeezed between matches.

What seems to hold it together is a shared understanding of the grind.

"We are so good at understanding each other's schedules and the way we operate and times when we need advice, times when we don't. So going through that together has been amazing," Rodman said, outlining a rhythm that sounds more like a veteran partnership than a young couple still carving out their place in their respective sports.

She also drew a line that matters in any high-profile relationship, let alone one involving two professional athletes constantly in the spotlight.

"I think we're always so good at supporting each other. And yeah, just being individuals as well, I think has been huge for us of not getting so blended together."

That independence could be tested again if Shelton takes the next step in New York.

Should he advance past Tiafoe and into Sunday’s final, Rodman likely will not be in the stands. The Spirit have a home match scheduled for one hour before the US Open final, a blunt reminder that even in a shared journey, careers run on separate tracks. While Shelton would be swinging for his first major title, Rodman would be leading a club fighting for points and positioning.

For now, though, their worlds intersect in Queens: a USWNT star tucked into the crowd, a booming left-hander on court, both navigating the same unforgiving margins that define elite sport.

Shelton’s serve, Tiafoe’s flair, Zverev waiting at the end of the draw — the storylines write themselves. The question is whether this night becomes the one that launches Shelton into his first Slam final, and leaves Rodman racing from one stage of American sport straight back to her own.