Ben Shelton Dealt Bad News Before US Open Final vs Alexander Zverev

Ben Shelton is one win away from becoming the first American man to win a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick in 2003. Unfortunately, his odds of beating Alexander Zverev in Sunday's US Open final aren't very promising.

Shelton has a 0-5 career head-to-head record against Zverev, having lost to the German on five separate occasions since their first encounter at the Cincinnati Masters in 2024. Since that initial meeting, the southpaw has lost in straight sets every single time to Zverev, including last year's Nitto ATP Finals and Cincinnati Masters. Shelton also lost to Zverev at Stuttgart and Munich last year, the latter of which was the tourney final.

Even more concerning for Shelton is that he's 0-3 on hard courts against Zverev, with only one of those matches going to a deciding third set.

The one silver lining, however, is that Shelton was similarly 0-3 against reigning US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz ahead of their quarterfinal earlier this week. Shelton proved his doubters wrong by upsetting Alcaraz, securing the biggest victory of his career and his first against a top-three player.

Ben Shelton's Girlfriend Unlikely to Attend

Another bit of bad news for Shelton is that his girlfriend, Washington Spirit striker Trinity Rodman, is unlikely to attend the US Open final due to a scheduling conflict. On Sunday, Rodman and the Spirit are scheduled to face Boston Legacy FC in an away game in Boston, with the NWSL game kicking off off at 1 p.m. local time. Elsewhere in New York, Shelton's US Open final will start just an hour later at 2 p.m. in New York.

Unless she skips her NWSL commitment, Rodman will likely miss the biggest match of her boyfriend's blossoming career.

It will be a shame if Rodman won't be in Shelton's corner on Sunday. She has been his lucky charm through his excellent 2026 season, which includes four ATP title wins in Montreal, Stuttgart, Munich and Dallas. After his Stuttgart win, he thanked her for traveling the globe to support him—even at tournaments where WAGs rarely show up.

Shelton was smiling ear to ear after beating Frances Tiafoe, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, in Friday's semifinal to advance to his first career major final.

"It's a lot of emotion. My mom and dad sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position today," Shelton said after reaching the US Open final, via Tennis Letter.

"My dad lost his mom earlier this year. She's the reason he was able to play tennis. Without her there's no Ben Shelton standing here today. This one is for her.

"Ima need you guys on Sunday to bring the energy," he continued. "We're going for it here. Ima leave it all on the court. I hope you guys come and back me.

He also dedicated his win to the 9/11 victims on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.

"Let's do this for the USA. One more thing, it's a difficult day to be out here playing. My thoughts and prayers go out to all families who are impacted by 9/11.

"This is one of the greatest cities in the world and one of the biggest tragedies. Thoughts and prayers to everyone involved and affected."

Like HEAVY's content? Be sure to follow us .