(Video) Ben Shelton Brutally Shuts Down Troll After Girlfriend Trinity Rodman’s ‘Ewww’ Reaction to ‘Sweaty Hug’ Criticism

Ben Shelton improved his head-to-head record over compatriot Taylor Fritz to 2-1 after the Dallas Open win.

(Video) Ben Shelton Brutally Shuts Down Troll After Girlfriend Trinity Rodman’s ‘Ewww’ Reaction to ‘Sweaty Hug’ Criticism

Ben Shelton's (L) interaction with Trinity Rodman (R) after the Dallas Open win has gone viral (Image via X/Ben Shelton HQ, Instagram/Trinity Rodman)

In Short
  • Ben Shelton won his fourth career title at the Dallas Open, defeating Taylor Fritz.
  • Trinity Rodman, Shelton's girlfriend, reacted humorously to his sweaty hug after the match.
  • Rodman signed a new $2 million deal with the Washington Spirit, becoming the highest-paid female soccer player.

Ben Shelton lifted his career’s fourth title as well as the first one of the 2026 season. On Monday (February 16), he came from a set down to beat fellow American Taylor Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the Dallas Open final.

Watching him from the player’s box was United States Women’s National Soccer (USWNT) star Trinity Rodman, also his girlfriend. Shelton and Rodman shared a kiss and embraced each other after his win, the clip of which has gone viral.

It was Rodman’s reaction that caught the attention of the fans. After hugging Shelton, who was understandably sweaty, Rodman exclaimed, “Ewww!” and tried to wipe the sweat off her shoulder, to which the tennis ace said, “I’ll bring some towels.“

Watch the video here:

The funny encounter, however, left one social media user unimpressed as they left this on the Instagram comment section: “I bet she won’t say ‘Ewww’ to the money and status that comes along with that sweat.” Shelton came across the comment and left a befitting reply.

Highest paid female soccer player in the world btw [laughing emoticon].

Ben Shelton wrote

After knocking out defending champion Denis Shapovalov, Shelton and Rodman danced together. Shelton also believes Rodman is his lucky charm.

This is the second tournament that my girlfriend has shown up on the semifinals day. I’m 2-0 in semis when she shows up for that, so happy Valentine’s Day!

Ben Shelton said during his on-court interview

Rodman, also the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, currently plays for the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League. She joined Spirit in 2021 after leaving college and was a free agent since the expiry of her deal on December 31. As per her agent, her new deal, reportedly worth $2 million and which will keep her at Spirits until 2028, has made Rodman the world’s highest-paid female soccer player.

Ben Shelton thinks playing doubles helped him win the Dallas Open title

Ben Shelton also played doubles at the Dallas Open with compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic. After knocking out Grigor Dimitrov and Georgi Georgiev, the pair fell in the second round against third seeds Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia.

Ben Shelton (2)
Ben Shelton (Image via X/Joao Fonseca Updates)

At the press conference after his singles victory, Shelton was asked about his game at the net, to which he said playing doubles helped him work on his volleys.

I think feeling comfortable out there with the evolution for me, an area I can set myself apart from the pack and the rest of the field, and it’s something I am getting better and better at every week. Playing doubles this week was a thought for getting used to the court, working on my volleys and hand skills up at the net, and return of serve, as well as the serve, and getting used to playing some of the pressure points. I think that it definitely helped me in the end when it came down to it in my singles matches.

Prior to the Dallas Open, Shelton played the ASB Classic and the Australian Open. In Auckland, he lost to Sebastian Baez in the quarterfinals, while in Melbourne, four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner knocked him out in the quarterfinals.

The win over Taylor Fritz in the final of the Dallas Open has made Shelton the first American since Andy Roddick to win more than two titles above the ATP 250 level. Fritz has so far won the 2022 Indian Wells and the 2022 Japan Open.

Shelton, before his Dallas win, had lifted the 2023 Japan Open and the 2025 Canadian Open. The win helped Shelton improve his head-to-head record over the World No.8 to 2-1.

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