Trinity Rodman, a standout in women’s soccer, made her way to the U.S. Open men’s final to cheer on her boyfriend, Ben Shelton, and she did it in style.
This year, Rodman, recognized as the world’s highest-paid female soccer player, took a private jet to the tournament right after playing a match with the Washington Spirit in the NWSL. “After the game, I got on a little private jet. I splurged on that because, well, it’s important to me, and I just had such an amazing time,” she shared in an interview.
On that Sunday, the Boston Legacy defeated the 24-year-old striker, with a score of 3-0, at Audi Field in D.C.
From there, Rodman flew to New York to support Shelton in his first ever singles final at the U.S. Open, making the journey of 235 miles seem effortless.
“I knew she was coming — I figured it would be pretty close to impossible for her to get here,” Shelton reflected post-match. “Just making the effort is honestly insane.”
In a tough match, Shelton was defeated by the top-seeded German player, Alexander Zverev, with scores of 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2, marking the end of his remarkable run towards his first Grand Slam final.
Still, Shelton made history by being the first black American man to reach a U.S. Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
Despite the loss, Rodman was visibly proud of her boyfriend’s achievement. “Even though it wasn’t the result we wanted, just being there for him in such a big moment… it was still a huge accomplishment,” she commented.
Rodman has been a steadfast supporter of Shelton, especially since their relationship became public in 2025. Throughout the 2026 tournament, she attended his matches, including an intense five-set win over Carlos Alcaraz that went into the early morning hours.
She saw Shelton’s final ace at 3:33 a.m. and still managed to show up for training in Leesburg, Virginia, a few hours later.
In turn, Shelton has been equally supportive; he’s become a regular attendee at NWSL matches. Notably, after his loss to Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals in November, Shelton flew directly to Washington to watch Rodman and the Spirit play in their NWSL semifinal against the Thorns the next day.
After the Spirit’s defeat in the 2025 NWSL Championship against Gotham FC, Shelton was one of the first to console Rodman from the stands.
“We’ve made a lot of sacrifices for one another,” Shelton noted after the U.S. Open final. “We’ve traveled the world to support each other.”
