NEW YORK | Melanie Oudin has shown she has a good forehand, a good backhand and plenty of heart.
The 17-year-old spark plug from Georgia proved it again Monday at the U.S. Open, extending her remarkable run to the quarterfinals with another come-from-behind victory, this time 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 over 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova.
Oudin staved off two points that would have put her behind 5-3 in the second set, then rolled through the third, hitting corners with those underrated groundstrokes and taking advantage of 22 unforced errors by her more-seasoned, higher-ranked opponent.
Rankings, like her age, however, are only numbers.
The 70th-ranked player already had comeback wins over No. 4 Elena Dementieva and No. 29 Maria Sharapova at Flushing Meadows, along with one over former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic this summer at Wimbledon. Now she has knocked off No. 13.
Too young to know any better? Maybe. Regardless, she has become the youngest American to move into the quarterfinals at America’s Grand Slam since Serena Williams in 1999.
“I think this is going to do a lot,” Oudin said. “I think it’s good for American tennis.”
Not so good for Russian tennis, though. All four of Oudin’s wins have come against Russians.
After hitting a forehand to the corner for her 19th and final winner on match point, Oudin threw her racket in the air. This time, however, she didn’t cry any tears of disbelief. Instead, it was twin sister Katherine sobbing in the stands.
“It’s kind of hard to explain how I’ve done it,” Melanie Oudin said. “Today there were no tears because I believed I can do it. Now I know I do belong here. This is what I want to do. I can compete with these girls no matter who I’m playing. I have a chance against anyone.”
Oudin improved to 6-1 at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year when she has lost the first set. She is 17-4 overall this year in three-set matches.
“I don’t actually mean to lose the first set,” she insisted. “Sometimes I just start off slowly. Maybe I’m a little nervous. Today my timing was off a little. But I just totally forgot about it, started off the second set like it was a new match, and I started playing better.”
Oudin won this match without serving a single ace, another indication she is not blowing anybody away with sheer power. Instead, it’s footwork, technique, precision. Mostly, though, she is thriving in pressure situations that make so many others in the sport shrink away.
“You don’t know if she’s winning or losing,” said her father, John. “She doesn’t seem nervous out there - and I don’t know where that came from.”
Maybe it’s the shoes. They have the word “Believe” stamped on them, and it’s easy to see how those Oudin models could become top sellers in tennis shops across America soon.
Later Monday, ninth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki pulled off a minor upset, beating No. 6 Svetlana Kuznetsova 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).
On the men’s side, No. 1 Roger Federer extended his pursuit of a sixth consecutive U.S. Open title by beating No. 14 Tommy Robredo 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. Up next is a familiar foe: No. 12 Robin Soderling of Sweden, who is 0-11 against Federer, including losses this year in the French Open final and Wimbledon’s fourth round.
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