Melanie Oudin Rises To The Occasion

September 3, 2009

(Make sure to check out fun inside Oudin info down below!)

Wondering where you would've heard the biggest sigh of relief today, September 3, 2009?

It would've been right here at the Flushing Meadows home of the U.S. Open where American women's tennis discovered there might be a happy future after the Era of the Williams sisters.

You can refer to that happiness as Melanie Oudin!

Oudin is a diminutive 17-year-old spitfire who lives, breathes, and exists for the right to play tennis.

The No. 70 ranked teen is identifying herself as the worthy successor to "the sisters" by virtue of two incredible matches she's played at the two most recent Grand Slam events.

At Wimbledon, she upset No. 6 Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round -- the victory was her first over a top 10 player.

Today at the Open, Oudin performed to even better standards by taking out No. 4 Elena Dementieva 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. For those who might not follow the game that closely, there are those of us who actually touted Dementieva to win the title here.

Yes, I must admit that I selected Dementieva in the ESPN.com expert picks. My theory on this selection was a bit iffy in hindsight. Dementieva had a great summer and a fabulous Wimbledon, she has made marked improvements in her serve although it still needs help, and her groundstrokes have been tough to tangle with for other players. But my biggest factor in making an obviously careless pick was I didn't want to be like everyone else and pick the most likely champion, Serena Williams.

Bad me, I say now.

But back to a look at Oudin, the highest ranked American right behind No. 2 Serena and No. 3 Venus Willliams.

There's no denying that at only 5-foot-6, Oudin has to be crafty to handle many of the other players who tower over her at over 6-feet tall. But it's not impossible as the now retired Belgian Justine Henin proved when she owned the women's game despite being what many would refer to as height deficient.

Like Henin, Oudin brings desire to the table and it's a self-made desire. She hasn't been pushed to play to earn the family income and glory. Validation of this point is her twin sister, Katherine, doesn't have a similar drive to be a top tennis player. Katherine will play college tennis at a good school, but she hopes to become an obstetrician while Melanie hopes to become No. 1. The Oudin parents, who I spent time talking with at Wimbledon when their daughter did well, support and motivate Melanie in her goals, but they haven't forced her to play.

Look out for bigger and better from Oudin, although that might not happen at this U.S. Open. She's likely to face Maria Sharapova in the next round and might not yet have the maturity to beat back-to-back top players. And there has to be concern about her strained thigh muscle, which found her in tears at one point during her Dementieva win.

Now for a little light news on Oudin.

At 17, she's the older women to her younger boyfriend. Seems like a hard scenario to have going when you're just 17, but her boyfriend, who trains at the same tennis academy -- The Racquet Club of the South -- is still tipping the scales at 15.

She loves her Toyota 4Runner. Austin Smith, the boyfriend, he's too young to have his license yet.

She's been hangin' with Austin since January and he suggested she have the word "Believe" inscribed into her sneaker.

Smith talked about watching his girlfriend serve for the match after her press conference and how she lost the first two match points before closing the deal.

"It was actualy nerve wracking," Smith said. "At 40-0 when she missed those two points, I was just hoping Dementieva would miss the return and that's what happened. I think she was nervous coming out there, but she handled it very well."

Wondering who wins when the two play? Smith said, "I usually, actually, beat her, but it's usually always three sets everytime. I just don't want to lose to her, ever!"

ASSORTED U.S. OPEN FACTS FROM SEPTEMBER 3


In 1945, Sergeant Frank Parker flew 9,000 miles from Guam to defend his U.S. National title in the final of the first post-World War II U.S. Championships. Does anyone know how many days that trip took back in 1945?

In 1989, Chris Evert (Lloyd Mills Norman, to be precise)wins her her last U.S. Open match -- her 101st match win at the U.S. Open taking out a young Monica Seles. Does anyone want to guess how old Monica was at the time? (Hint -- she was younger than Melanie Oudin is today).

In 2006, Andre Agassi plays the final match of his career, losing a four-setter to German Benjamin Becker. Agassi's tearful post-match thank you speech to the crowd leaves him and the fans crying. How Andre matured from an punky kind of teen to an intelligent and caring adult. Those of us who have covered the sport for longer than we want to admit watched him grow into a great champion and elder statesman in the game and enjoyed the ride.

AROUND THE GROUNDS:

I made my first visit to the player lounge today and had a few brief encounters. Received a warm hello from Rafa (Yes, Nadal). I welcomed Kim Clijsters back to the tour, one of the truly nicest people you could meet. She was cheery and friendly before going off to see her daughter. And I asked Jesse Levine about his new German Shepherd puppy, which led him to ask how I knew about that. Turns out we both go to Boca Greens Animal Hospital in Boca Raton, Florida. My Wheaten Terrier, Yogi, just had stitches taken out after surgery to remove a small benign tumor from his leg, and Dr. Waugh mentioned that Jesse's puppy was a patient. Jesse quickly whipped out his phone and proudly showed off a photo of his dog.

Condolences go out to Jelena Jankovic, who played and lost her match to Yaroslava Shvedova after learning that her beloved grandmother had passed away. Her mother flew home on Wednesday, and now, Jankovic will go home to Serbia to mourn with the family.

Until tomorrow, tennis fans!