Quick, name the No. 3-ranked American woman. Nope, it’s not mommy-of-two Lindsay Davenport. Or the recently married Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Or even veteran Jill Craybas. It’s none other than Georgian Melanie Oudin, who, just weeks away from her 18th birthday, completes the USA’s Tennis Troika with Serena and Venus Williams.
The tenacious teen from Marietta freely admits the notion that she’s now mentioned in the same sentence as two players who own a combined 18 Grand Slam titles freaks her out a bit.
“It does,” said Oudin, who is coached by Brian de Villiers. “Someone told me before I actually found out, and I couldn’t believe it. It was, like, Serena, Venus and then me. I mean, I’ve idolized them since I was little — and I still do. You know, they’re the best players out there, I think, right now. So yes, it’s pretty crazy. But I know I’ve worked hard and I’m really happy to be called the third best American.”
Following her coming out party at Wimbledon, where the qualifier won six matches and shocked Jelena Jankovic en route to the Round of 16, Oudin has quietly climbed to No. 70 in the world, simultaneously providing some hope for a success-starved tennis nation. And on Tuesday at the U.S. Open, she used her big ball-striking abilities to simply overwhelm former junior foe Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 6-2.
“I started off the match really well, and I was just trying to stay focused,’ said Oudin, who totaled a career-high three aces against her Russian opponent. “I think I stayed extremely focused today, and I think that’s what helped me a lot. I didn’t give her a lot of free points. I made her play every single point. I think that’s what really helped me today.”
Oudin’s progress will likely make Mary Joe Fernandez‘s job that much easier when the time comes to name the Fed Cup team that will face Italy in the final Nov. 7-8. After all, Oudin proved valuable in her Fed Cup debut in February, when a Williams-less U.S. contingent topped Argentina 3-2 in Surprise, Ariz.
“I would love to be on the team again,” said Oudin, who will have her hands full in the next round against Elena Dementieva. “But whether or not I get to be on the team, I’m sure she’s going to choose the best team…It probably would be a little bit of a disappointment if I didn’t get to be on the team, but then I know that I’ve helped them get to the final. And if they win it, then I would have helped to win. So that’s all I can ask for.”
