Trinity Rodman Supports Ben Shelton at US Open Semifinal

Trinity Rodman is back in the stands, this time for the biggest night yet of Ben Shelton’s Grand Slam run.

The Washington Spirit forward and U.S. women’s national team star is at the US Open on Friday, Sept. 11, as Shelton faces fellow American Frances Tiafoe in a blockbuster semifinal. She has been a regular presence around Flushing Meadows all tournament, most memorably riding out Shelton’s marathon quarterfinal win over Carlos Alcaraz — a bruising epic that didn’t wrap up until after 3:30 a.m. ET.

That late-night thriller pushed Shelton into the last four, where the stakes jump again. The winner of Shelton–Tiafoe earns a shot at world No. 1 Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s men’s singles final on Sept. 13, and with it a first career Grand Slam title.

Both Americans are hunting that same breakthrough, but Shelton arrives with a slight edge in their personal rivalry. He leads the head-to-head 3–1, including a win in their most recent meeting one year ago in Washington, D.C., on hardcourt. Tiafoe, though, owns the one that still lingers in New York: their lone US Open clash, a third-round match in 2024, went his way.

The story off the court has been almost as compelling. Shelton and Rodman went public with their relationship in March 2025, immediately stepping into the spotlight as one of American sports’ new power couples. Since then, their calendars have looked like a game of Tetris. Rodman has squeezed in trips to support Shelton at tournaments, while he has made time to return the favor at USWNT and Spirit matches.

The reality is less glamorous than the highlight reels. Their seasons rarely line up. Travel never stops. Long stretches apart are part of the deal.

"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. The solution, she explained, has been a shared understanding only two pros can really grasp: "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."

She values the balance they’ve built as much as the support. "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 will be tested again if Shelton takes the next step. Should he advance to Sunday’s final against Zverev, Rodman almost certainly will have to miss it. The Spirit have a home match scheduled to kick off just one hour before the US Open final, a brutal clash of commitments that underlines the reality of two careers peaking at once.

For now, though, she’s here, courtside, watching him swing for a place in his first major final.

Shelton’s serve. Tiafoe’s flair. A Grand Slam on the horizon. And in the middle of it all, two athletes trying to conquer their sports — and the calendar.