Watch Out For Melanie Oudin In Tomorrow's US Women's Open

By: Mallory Jones

With college football starting, baseball season reaching its prime and the sweet smell of the NFL taunting us all, it seems that another major American sporting event is getting lost in the shadows: the US Open. But if you can turn away from the latest Brett Favre drama and focus your attention on the Arthur Ashe stadium, you might just find a more inspiring display of athleticism than either of the previously mentioned sports can offer.

Tomorrow’s line-up at the Open include a young American on the women’s side that I believe have a chance to create some upsets in the bracket. Her name is Melanie Oudin and tomorrow she’ll be facing up against tennis icon Maria Sharapova from Russia. Though Oudin entered this tournament practically unrecognized, she is quickly turning heads and creating attention as a possible new face for the women’s’ game. At the ripe young age of 17, Oudin is already ranked 70th on the tour, made it to the fourth round of Wimbledon, and now seems to be pursuing a Cinderella story of her own on the courts in New York. In the first round she easily passed by Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a 6-1, 6-2 victory. Heads really started to turn towards her Thursday when she dramatically upset 4th seed Russian veteran Elena Dementieva. With a final score of 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, Oudin found her explosive power and intensity at just the right time to come up with one of the most unexpected wins the tournament has seen thus far.

So what does this mean for her match against Sharapova tomorrow? Experience, history and rankings would all point to a Russian win, but that doesn’t mean that Oudin should be counted out by any means. First off, she is coming off an incredible win which will give her the momentum and confidence she needs to start the match with intensity tomorrow. That will be crucial, as Sharapova has dominated her opponents in two easy sets in both the first and second round of the tournament. A strong start will be a necessity for Oudin to overcome Sharapova’s explosiveness.

Since Oudin just joined the tour in 2008, these two have never faced head-to-head before, making it hard to compare them directly. But, both have recently played Elena Dementieva, and when those results are placed side by side it seems that Oudin is an obvious win. Maria Sharapova faced up against Dementieva in Toronto in the finals of the Roger’s Cup, right before coming to New York for the US Open. Dementieva took that match relatively easy in two sets, leaving Sharapova as the runner up. Oudin, however, was able to stop Dementieva in her tracks during this Grand Slam event, even after a rough start. With this comparison, plus the face that Oudin seems unfazed by being matched up against tennis all-stars, it seems like Melanie Oudin has both the athletic skills and mental control needed to come out with another big win Saturday.

Finally, the US Open atmosphere should work in Oudin’s favor. Playing the first match of the day on center court in her own country, Melanie Oudin will have near-perfect conditions for a win. Sharapova does have an impressive history at the US Open, reaching the semi finals in 2005 and winning the title in 2006. The fact is, however, since that win she has not had another impressive showing at this tournament. In 2007 Sharapova lost in the 3rd round to Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska. That loss was due primarily to Sharapova’s inconsistency and unforced errors. If Oudin can create that same scenario on Arthur Ashe Stadium Saturday, there is no reason why she, too, cannot upset Sharapova at in the 2009 US Open.