Trinity Rodman, star forward for the U.S. Women's National Team and the Washington Spirit, was in attendance Monday to support her boyfriend, Ben Shelton, during his first-round match at the U.S. Open. Shelton secured a hard-fought victory over Tallon Griekspoor in four sets, advancing to the second round of the tournament.
Rodman arrived courtside at Arthur Ashe Stadium shortly after her own team's match on Sunday. She was seen cheering from Shelton's player box, sporting a colorful shirt and at one point posing for a photo. Shelton, who had played in the NCAA championship for the University of Florida, defeated Griekspoor with a score of 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7), 6-2.
Shelton acknowledged the difficulty of the match, particularly in the initial set. "Obviously a lot of credit to Tallon, he’s a difficult player to play," Shelton said post-match. "He doesn’t give you a lot of rhythm. He has an attacking game style and I found things really difficult for the first set tonight." He added that he found his rhythm during the second set.
Rodman and Shelton made their relationship public in March 2025 and have become a notable couple in the sports world. Rodman had previously mentioned her intention to attend Shelton's first U.S. Open match, despite the challenging schedule of professional sports. "I’m definitely going to be able to go to his first match and we’ll go from there, because I kind of don’t know [if I can attend] until a day or two before," she told ESPN. "I’ll be at the first match and then we’ll see."
Shelton is scheduled to face Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.