American Melanie Oudin Advances to US Open Quarterfinals

NEW YORK (AP) -- Forget about forehands and backhands. Melanie Oudin's biggest weapon is her heart.

The 17-year-old sparkplug from Georgia proved it again Monday at the U.S. Open, extending her remarkable run to the quarterfinals with another come-from-behind victory, 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.

Previously: Oudin Flying High at U.S. Open
More U.S. Open: Women's Scores | Men's Scores

Rankings, like her age, however, are only numbers.

The 70th-ranked player already had 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's 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 and her next match could be against yet another. That's sixth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 Open champion and the only Grand Slam tournament winner left on Oudin's side of the bracket.

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.

"I'm so happy to be in my first quarterfinal Grand Slam ever," Oudin told the crowd in her postmatch, on-court interview.

Talk about heart. Oudin improved to 6-1 at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year when she's lost the first set. She is 17-4 overall this year in three-set matches.

"I started serving better, thought I could do it and -- I did," she said.

But 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."

Oudin stung two forehand winners, including one when she was positioned completely outside the court, to take a quick 3-0 lead in the second-set tiebreaker. She also took advantage of three unforced errors and a double-fault from her 27-year-old opponent, who was trying to make her third Open quarterfinal.

"I have a feeling like I really didn't finish my job off on the court," Petrova said. "She came back, and after winning her previous matches in the same way, she probably thought, I can do it again."

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U.S. Open 2009

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 07: Melanie Oudin of the United States celebrates match point against Nadia Petrova of Russia during day eight of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Melanie Oudin

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Rafael Nadal from Spain arranges his shirt during the 1st round US Open match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center September 2, 2009 in New York. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 02: Marcos Daniel of Brazil returns a shot against Jose Acasuso of Argentina during day three of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 2, 2009 in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Marcos Daniel

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 02: Kim Clijsters of Belgium returns a shot against Marion Bartoli of France during day three of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 2, 2009 in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kim Clijsters

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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 02: Jose Acasuso of Argentina returns a shot against Marcos Daniel of Brazil during day three of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 2, 2009 in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jose Acasuso

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Rafael Nadal from Spain puts on a shirt during his 1st round US Open match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center September 2, 2009 in New York. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

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Rafael Nadal from Spain puts on his shirt during his 1st round US Open match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center September 2, 2009 in New York. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

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Rafael Nadal from Spain rests against Richard Gasquet of France during their 1st round US Open match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center September 2, 2009 in New York. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

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By Eddie Pells

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