American tennis star Ben Shelton started his 2026 French Open campaign with a dominant straight-sets victory.
Beyond his performance, what drew more attention was his girlfriend, US women’s soccer icon Trinity Rodman, who showed her support across the Atlantic.
Shelton, seeded fifth, breezed by Spain’s Daniel Merida Aguilar, defeating him 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on the Suzanne Lenglen court. He did not give up any break points and served well in all 14 games.
As his compatriot, Taylor Fritz, had been knocked out of the tournament, Shelton is now the lone hope of the country in Roland-Garros. It has been 34 years since an American male won the singles crown in Paris.
Days before the tournament started, Shelton posted an emotional birthday tribute to Rodman, who turned 24 on May 20.
The posts included a couple’s random sweet moments. Shelton wrote: “24, happy birthday, beautiful.”
The couple started dating in March 2025 and hard-launched their relationship on Instagram in mid-March 2025.
Trinity Rodman is the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman and is one of the biggest players in women’s soccer.
She plays for the Washington Spirit and the US women’s national soccer team, contributing to the achievement of gold by America during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Despite being 18 years old, she became the youngest player ever drafted into the NWSL Draft. Her signing contract was reportedly valued in excess of $1 million per year, thus making her the most highly paid women’s soccer player ever.
