Tennis fans woke up Wednesday morning, Sept. 9, to shocking news out of the U.S. Open. Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champ at Flushing Meadows and a seven-time grand slam winner, had been defeated in the quarterfinals in a marathon match that ended after 3:30 a.m.
Still standing in the wee hours of the morning was Ben Shelton, the energetic, lanky lefty from Gainesville, Florida, who finally got his breakout moment on the world stage in the dead of night. The match started after 11 p.m., but Shelton looked wide awake from the opening serve, narrowly dropping the opening set but punishing Alcaraz after that, winning all but four games over the next two sets, much to the delight of girlfriend and U.S. soccer star Trinity Rodman.
The Spaniard rallied
after that, pushing the 23-year-old Shelton all the way to a match-deciding tiebreaker. It was an instant classic, but in the end, Shelton picked up his biggest win since he upset No. 5 Casper Ruud in Cincinnati in 2022, back when he was still winning national championships with the Florida Gators.
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Shelton saved his best for last, blistering a 147 mph ace past Alcaraz to clinch a spot in the semifinals of a major for just the third time. The first came here in 2023, but Novak Djovokic halted his run there — the 24-time grand slam champion was ousted this year in the first round. He returned to the semis at the 2025 Australian Open but got swept by Jannik Sinner — the world No. 1 had to miss this tournament because of an injury.
At No. 9 in the ATP rankings, Shelton will be favored to do something American tennis fans have been dying to see since the days of Andy Roddick. Shelton now faces an all-American semifinal against 10th-seeded Frances Tiafoe with the winner expected to play French Open champion and Wimbledon finalist Alexander Zverev in the final. There hasn't been a male American champion at the U.S. Open since 2003. Can Shelton be the one to change that?
Here's what to know about Shelton and how to watch the U.S. Open semifinal.
Where is Ben Shelton from?
Shelton was born Oct. 9, 2002, in Atlanta but was raised in Gainesville. He won two Florida state singles titles at Buchholz High School, his first coming as a sophomore in 2019. Shelton was the school's first boys champion.
Where did Ben Shelton go to college?
It's no surprise that the Gainesville native would play at the University of Florida, and it's even less of a shocker considering he would be playing for his father, former pro tennis player Bryan Shelton. Shelton excelled at Florida, starting off an incredible college career by clinching the Gators' first men's tennis national championship as a freshman in 2021.
Florida wins the national championship, 4-1, over Baylor!@GatorsMTN | #NCAATennis pic.twitter.com/E5Iy8KtP9f
— NCAA Tennis (@NCAATennis) May 23, 2021
Shelton took over as the team's No. 1 player the following year and didn't disappoint, earning SEC Player of the Year and ITA National Player of the Year. He closed his brief time at UF by winning the 2022 national singles championship, going 17-1 in tournament singles matches that year.
Ben Shelton's girlfriend: How did Shelton meet Trinity Rodman?
Shelton's celebrity status both on and off the court has led to a lot of buzz around his dating life, and he's formed one of sports' most popular couples with soccer star Trinity Rodman. The romance between Shelton and the U.S. national team forward, Olympic gold medalist and star of the Washington Spirit, who also won the NWSL championship in 2021 as a rookie, has been public since March 2025.
The two are frequently seen at each other's matches, and Rodman was there throughout the early-morning hours to watch Shelton topple Carlos Alcaraz. He did get into a little hot water by not mentioning her among the family members who might be suffering from lack of sleep.
Rodman, daughter of Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, revealed on Kylie Kelce's "Not Gonna Lie" podcast in August that she first reached out to Shelton in an Instagram direct message. "I said, 'You're sick … fire emoji,'" Rodman said. "... He responded and was like, 'You were sick at the Olympics too, haha!' He matched the cringe situation, and then like a week or two later, we met in person. He flew out for the entire weekend, I fully committed to this guy that I didn't even meet yet for him to stay at my house the entire weekend."
Who is Ben Shelton's dad?
Shelton hails from an athletic family. His dad and coach, Bryan Shelton, topped out at No. 55 during his playing days and won two ATP tournaments, taking back-to-back titles at Newport in 1991 and 1992. His older sister, Emma Shelton, also played tennis at Florida before entering the financial world after college. She now works at Morgan Stanley.
When is Ben Shelton's next US Open match?
Shelton's semifinal against Frances Tiafoe at the U.S. Open is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 11. The start time will be announced Thursday, Sept. 10. The match will be broadcast on ESPN with streaming options including Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.
Contributing: Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Who is Ben Shelton? The Florida star shocked Carlos Alcaraz at US Open
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