Ben Shelton’s 2026 Australian Open campaign started with a win, and it didn’t go unnoticed by someone close to him. His girlfriend, American soccer star Trinity Rodman, was watching his first-round match in Melbourne and showed her support on social media.
Ben Shelton Reacts to Girlfriend Trinity Rodman’s Cheers for His Australian Open Opener
After Shelton beat Ugo Humbert on Rod Laver Arena, Rodman shared her excitement on Instagram Stories. She shared a video of the match on TV and wrote, “Round one ✅ @benshelton ❤️.”
In another story, she shared a Tennis Channel post that celebrated the win with the caption “SHELTON DOMINATES IN STRAIGHT SETS,” along with fire emojis.
Shelton also appreciated the gesture. He reposted Rodman’s story on his own Instagram and replied with a heart emoji.
The couple were first linked in March 2025 and have often shared their moments online, making moments like this stand out. Rodman has been cheering for her boyfriend since his training sessions began for the Australian Open.
Shelton Breaks Down His Win Over Humbert
Facing world No. 33 Ugo Humbert in the first round, Ben Shelton knew he had a tough test on his hands. However, Shelton managed to win 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(5).
The American relied on his strengths, which are his big left-handed serve, aggressive positioning, and physical presence. He controlled most of the match, but Humbert kept fighting and pushed Shelton into two tight tiebreaks.
After the match, Shelton said his calm mindset made the difference. “I thought I stayed really calm today. Obviously, I knew coming in on a court like this, anywhere, playing Ugo first round is a tough draw, but for me it was just focusing on the things I’ve been doing, focusing on the areas that I’ve been trying to improve and just trying to get better as the match went on,” he said.
A moment came late in the second set when Shelton was broken while serving for it at 6-5. At that time, Shelton felt he had been returning well all set and believed his serve was still strong.
“I’d just been up a break earlier in the set and I got broken. So for me, breaking two times in that set, I knew I was returning well. I also knew I was serving well. Got a little unlucky with those two breaks. That’s what I tell myself. But yeah, I thought that I just played a great tiebreaker. Two great tiebreakers. And I’ve played a lot of tiebreakers here, a lot of experience. And I think that helped me a lot today,” the American said.
That approach paid off. Even after falling behind 0-3, Shelton turned things around and sealed the win.
