Trinity Rodman Supports Ben Shelton at US Open Semifinal

Trinity Rodman is back in the stands, this time for one of the biggest nights of Ben Shelton’s career.

The Washington Spirit and U.S. women’s national team forward is at the US Open on Friday, Sept. 11, as her boyfriend faces fellow American Frances Tiafoe in a high‑stakes semifinal. The winner earns a shot at No. 1 Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s men’s singles final, and a chance at a first Grand Slam title.

Rodman has been a constant presence during Shelton’s run in New York. She watched courtside as he survived a wild, late‑night epic against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, a match that didn’t wrap up until after 3:30 a.m. ET. Shelton rode that surge into the last four, where the storyline turns fully American: Shelton vs. Tiafoe, youth vs. experience, both hunting the same breakthrough.

The matchup comes with a bit of history. Shelton leads their head‑to‑head 3–1, including a win one year ago in Washington, D.C., on hardcourt. Tiafoe, though, owns the memory that matters most in New York: their lone previous US Open meeting, a third‑round clash in 2024, went Tiafoe’s way. Both know the other’s weapons. Both know there may not be many surprises left.

The tension for Shelton stretches beyond the baseline. If he reaches Sunday’s final, there’s a strong chance Rodman won’t be there to see it in person. The Spirit have a home match scheduled to kick off just one hour before the US Open men’s final, a brutal bit of calendar conflict for one of American sport’s most visible power couples.

Shelton and Rodman went public with their relationship in March 2025 and quickly became a fixture across two sports. She has been a regular at his matches. He has returned the support from the stands at USWNT and Spirit games, carving out time where their calendars allow.

Those calendars rarely show much mercy.

"It's definitely hard … it's like, 'Oh my gosh, we don't get to see each other at all,'" Rodman told USA TODAY Sports, laying out the reality of two rising careers on separate tours. What holds it together, she explained, is a shared understanding of what the grind looks like: the travel, the recovery, the mental swings that come with elite competition.

"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."

For Rodman, the balance between “us” and “I” matters just as much as any scoreboard.

"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."

So on this New York night, the roles are clear. Shelton serves, sprints and swings for a place in his first Grand Slam final. Tiafoe stands in his way. Rodman, one of the most dynamic young stars in American soccer, watches it unfold, knowing that if he wins, the next chapter of his run might have to be followed from a different arena, at a different kickoff, with the same shared ambition driving them both.