Infectious Melanie Oudin Can Go Far

NEW YORK -- See how fast you can say this. And do it in one breath.

"Well, this was pretty big, too, so was against Jankovic at Wimbledon, I think it means more to me though since this is the U.S. Open. You know, I had the whole crowd cheering for me, so much support, I was struggling a little with my leg, and just, I don't, the whole thing was just amazing. I can't believe I won!"

Nope. Melanie Oudin said it way, way faster. With a smile on her face.

Oudin, the American teen, beat No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva 5-7, 6-4,6-3 Thursday in the second round at the U.S. Open. She beat Jelena Jankovic in July at Wimbledon to become a one-hit wonder.

This was her second hit.

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And just like that, she emerged not only as an American hope for the future, but also for right now.

In a tournament with upsets happening everywhere - No. 5 Jelena Jankovic also lost Thursday - the draw opens up perfectly for Oudin. If she can get past a next-round match against Maria Sharapova, then she will be on one of those runs that only these major championships can produce.

One that makes a sudden star.

I'm getting carried away. Oudin has not been consistent this summer. She's only 5-foot-6 in a sport with a premium on height.

But her chances at the Open are not just based on top players losing in front of her. They are because she is totally different than the other players, and women's tennis is in desperate need of totally different.

Her style, her smile, her enthusiasm.

Her guts. Oh man, does women's tennis need guts now. This U.S. Open has produced an amazing amount of choking on the women's side. Match after match comes down to the winner choking, but winning because the loser choked more.

It has been just sickening to watch No. 1 Dinara Safina managing to win with hand to throat. Ana Ivanovic is already out, too, having gagged.

Give Jankovic, who also folded, a break, though. She found out shortly before her match that her grandma had died.

But seeds are falling fast. As of Thursday night, eight of the top 17 seeds are gone.

And only five players have shown the courage needed to win: Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters, Sharapova and, yes, Oudin.

The biggest surprise has been the collapse of the top of the game. It has been so dramatic that a 17-year old Georgian who no one had heard of before July, a girl ranked No. 70, is fighting better than the game's top players.


"She was in the court and not afraid to play," Dementieva said. "She was playing very aggressively, really enjoying this atmosphere, you know the crowd support, and really going for winners.

"It's just the beginning, but it looks like she has a good future."

This is in contrast to what Jankovic said after losing to Oudin at Wimbledon. Jankovic blamed it on dizziness "as well [as] some woman problems. It's not easy being a woman sometimes."

She said Oudin is good if you let her play, but has nothing to hurt anyone with. No weapons.

"No," Dementieva said, reminded of Jankovic's comments. "She has a very solid game. She won it."

As opposed to Dementieva losing it. Well, that's the sporting thing to say, but in this case, it was both. Tough Oudin and choking Dementieva.

But here's something I have to say: I suspect that Oudin is cheating.

Just watch. You'll note that she hits one ball really hard and then the next one soft. Unfair! She slices one time, hits topspin the next.

Drop shots, lobs, deep, left, short, right, defensive, offensive.

I know that can't be in the rules because the other women aren't doing any of those things, but rather playing like robots, only with panic, using exactly the same style: swing as hard as possible with zero strategy.

In fact, that has made the game so boring that the tour has been relegated to promoting, instead, the fact that so many of their players look like supermodels.

So the funny thing is that Oudin is starting to beat people because she's playing tennis. I mean, the art of the game, not the bashing-end of it.

Over the next 24 hours, Oudin is going to be portrayed as the newest sporting pixie. If she beats Sharapova, then that will really kick in.

I can already hear it from the questions she was asked afterward. Is it good to have a boyfriend? When was the first time you were at Ashe Stadium (Answer: When she was 12, and came as a fan to see Venus or Serena, she can't remember which.) Someone has stamped the word "Believe" on her shoes, as if she needs the reminder.

And she's a kid and she giggles. Frankly, tennis can use that, too. It is nice, because so many other women players keep talking about pressure and agony and torture.

Oudin is the fresh air in this tournament with courage, spark and variety, and these record Open crowds already have started to fall for her.

The No. 4 seed lost her nerve to a kid. I don't see Serena Williams doing that.

But there's no such thing as a two-hit wonder.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com