At the start of the 2009 season, few could have believed that an unseeded, 17-year-old American would have made it all the way to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open. But it happened.
Melanie Oudin, a five-foot-six kid from Marietta, Georgia, shot to sudden fame in 2009, by defeating Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon, and advancing to the fourth round, as a mere qualifier. Oudin went on to captivate the U.S. Open crowd after out-maneuvering four Russian powerhouses, including three seeded players: Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, and Nadia Petrova.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Oudin during her U.S. Open run. She suffered three consecutive first set losses against the seeded Russians. Seemingly unphased by the mounting pressure, Oudin managed three come-from-behind victories, leaving a trail of major upsets. After beating Sharapova in her third round match, Oudin reflected on her incredible win. “I never thought that I’d play Maria Sharapova on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open this year. Definitely did not see that coming,” she said. “That whole match, just getting to play her and beating her, I’ve never met her before, so shaking her hand after the match was the first time I met her. It was crazy.”
In fact, Oudin was so unaccustomed to being in the spotlight, her second round match against Dementieva was the first time she had played on Arthur Ashe Stadium—ever.
Sadly, Oudin’s dream run at the U.S. Open came to an end when Caroline Wozniacki stole the spotlight in the quarterfinals by beating Oudin in straight sets.
As a result of Oudin’s success at Flushing Meadows, she became the youngest American woman to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals since Serena Williams in 1999. Not bad for a girl who lost in the first round of the U.S. Open in 2008.
To call her success surprising would be an understatement. Oudin started 2009 ranked at No. 177. Despite qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open, she lost in the first round. Oudin was granted a wildcard for Memphis, Indian Wells, and Miami, but didn’t get past the first or second rounds. She made it into the round of 16 at Charleston, and won two subsequent ITF tournaments, but unfortunately didn’t qualify for the French Open. She did qualify for the main draw at Stanford and Los Angeles, but suffered more first and second round losses. By the time the 2009 season ended, Oudin had somehow managed to jump 128 ranking spots to land at No. 49, and became the third highest ranked American on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
How did she pull it off? It could be Oudin’s defensive baseline style of play, combined with her unbelievable foot speed. Or possibly it’s her powerful forehand groundstrokes that give her an edge. She also likes to mix up the pace by using a slice backhand and drop shots. But more likely than not, it is Oudin’s mental toughness that has set her apart from the pack. Fueled by self-belief, she remains focused, driven, and confident during high-pressure moments. Not a typical trait for most 17-year-old girls, who crumble when they can’t find a pair of jeans to match their UGGs.
Speaking of footwear, Oudin’s stylish pink and yellow tennis sneakers may also have boosted her success at the U.S. Open (or more specifically, what she has written on them.) Using the word ‘believe’ as her mantra, Oudin asked Adidas to design her tennis sneakers for the U.S. Open with the word ‘BELIEVE’ embellished on each heel. By the time she reached the quarterfinals, the statement on her sneakers became the talk of the tournament, and made her an instant role model.
Unfortunately, Oudin’s success seemed to wane after the U.S. Open. She was plagued by injury and illness for the remainder of the 2009 season, and did not qualify for the main draw in any WTA tournament following the U.S. Open.
Looking ahead, the 2010 Australian Open will be a big test for Oudin. All eyes will be on her to see how well she handles the pressure and expectations as America’s new “it girl”. The possibility of competing against her recently un-retired idol, Justine Henin, will only intensify that pressure.
One thing you can believe: This kid is just getting started.
Paula Vergara is a freelance tennis journalist, covering the WTA and ATP tours. Paula’s publishing credits include On the Baseline Tennis News, Tennis.com, USTA New England Magazine, and Bob Larson’s Tennis News. Paula is also a member of the United States Tennis Writers’ Association. To view her work, visit www.paula-vergara.blogspot.com.
judging by her performance in the Hopman Cup it will be a tough beginning to the season
She’s 1 and 2 in Hopman Cup play, but her one win was a good one. So much pressure has been put on her–I just hope she can learn to ignore it. Go Melanie!
Melanie certainly has a lot of potential, but the pressure will be on her shoulders this season. Fortunately, she’s got time on her side as she continues to develop her game.
Thanks, Paula, for a great article!
what a load of rubbish to say she was ill after the us.open.she played in asia but could not even qualify for the main draws.so if she was ill why bother to travel .stay home period.only making excuses for her b/cause she could not deliver .fed cup hopmancup, remember.
always the best new thing only to disappoint .
again she just lost another match in down under or where ever.lots of hype ,pls.wait a while and see how she progress before too much hype.
Kumbabeck–Thanks for your comments. I think we are all cautiously optimistic for Oudin’s potential rise to the top of American tennis. To her credit, she’s done well on the BIG stages – Wimbledon and U.S. Open. We’ll see how she does at AO. If she has an early exit there, she may need to adjust her game and/or rethink her tournament schedule.
Too much pressure for these KIDS, it is typical of a fresh faced tennis players who have 1 great tournament, it is expected by the press that they will succeed. Give them time and they will be better for the experience. Casey Delacqua had the same experience last year at the AO.