U.S. Women's National Team star Trinity Rodman shared a celebratory moment with her boyfriend, Ben Shelton, in the early hours of Wednesday morning following his dramatic five-set victory in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. The match, which concluded at 3:33 a.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium, marked the latest finish in the tournament's history.
Shelton, 23, defeated seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz with a final score of 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) after a grueling four-hour and 28-minute contest. Following his win, Shelton and Rodman performed his signature "hang up the phone" celebration, exchanging smiles on the court.
Rodman documented the late-night triumph on her Instagram story, sharing a video of Shelton celebrating with the remaining crowd and writing "My 🌎" over the clip. She also posted a photo of the final score and the time she shared the post, 3:51 a.m., calling the match "Insane."
Throughout the match, Rodman was seen experiencing the emotional highs and lows, at times clapping and smiling, and at other times holding her head in her hands. She brought an action figure of Shelton with her to the stadium, placing it on a balcony railing in front of her seat, seemingly as a good luck charm.
During a post-match interview, Shelton playfully acknowledged Rodman, saying, "I’m just hoping my best friend and sister over there don’t have to be at work at 6 a.m. in three hours…" The camera then cut to Rodman, who responded with a laugh, "What about me?"
Shelton first popularized the phone celebration in 2023 after defeating Frances Tiafoe in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. The celebration was later reciprocated by Novak Djokovic after defeating Shelton in the Grand Slam semifinals.
With his victory, Shelton is set to face Frances Tiafoe again in the semifinals. Neither player has reached a Grand Slam final before. If Shelton were to win the U.S. Open, he would be the first American man to win a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick's victory at the U.S. Open in 2003. As of Wednesday morning, Alexander Zverev is slightly favored over Shelton to win the title.