American tennis star Ben Shelton kicked off his 2026 French Open campaign with a dominant straight-sets win.
In addition to his achievements, what attracted more attention was his girlfriend, American women’s soccer icon Trinity Rodman, who showed her support across the Atlantic.
Shelton, seeded fifth, outshot 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.
With his compatriot, Taylor Fritz, knocked out of the tournament, Shelton is now the country’s lone hope at Roland-Garros. It has been 34 years since an American man 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 cute moments. Shelton wrote: “24, happy birthday beautiful.”
The couple began dating in March 2025 and 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 greatest players in women’s soccer.
She plays for the Washington Spirit and the US Women’s National Soccer Team, helping America achieve gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Despite being 18 years old, she became the youngest player ever to be drafted into the NWSL Draft. Her signing contract was reportedly valued at over $1 million per year, making her the highest paid female soccer player of all time.
