Ben Shelton trolled by girlfriend Trinity Rodman as US Open press conference interrupted

Ben Shelton was brutally trolled by his girlfriend Trinity Rodman following his US Open second-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta. The American breezed into the third round with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Busta, but his straight-sets win wasn't enough to please partner Rodman.

During his post-match debrief, Shelton was left stunned when a question from the press gallery came from none other than his girlfriend, Rodman. The 23-year-old is a star in her own right, having established herself as one of the best American soccer players in the States, before striking up a romance with promising tennis star Shelton.

But when grilling her boyfriend on his performance, she asked: "So how did it feel not being able to serve higher than 135 [mph] today? You like to serve big and it wasn't breaking 140 [mph] today."

Shelton immediately put his head in his hands, before looking up, with a smile on his face, and asking the press officer: "Why did you let her ask a question?"

He did eventually front up to the query, responding: "It was cold outside, so I think that was the main reason. I was focused on hitting spots but I didn't hit those spots. So maybe I should just serve bigger. It's something I will definitely work on next time."

Shelton and Rodman have officially been dating since the beginning of the year, and despite their packed schedules, appear to have been making things work. Rodman caught a red-eye flight earlier in the tournament to catch Shelton's opening match, with the Canadian Open champion insisting there are plenty of benefits to dating a fellow athlete.

Shelton told Vogue: "I think it's really cool for both of us to be able to see each other in our respective sports and, you know, witness what it takes and how difficult it is to stay at the top. The soccer life, the US Women's national team, it was all kind of new to me, and I've enjoyed the opportunity to get to know it - and to know more about her life in it."

He added: "If there's shared advice, I think it's definitely about the mental stuff - not skills, exactly. But the mental toughness and perseverance, and dealing with the difficulties that come up - I think that's one and the same across all sports, actually."