Glorious Solutions Centre

It’s about 1.15am, Thursday September 10, 2009 and I’m still very much awake, watching the 2009 US Open Quarterfinal match between two teenage ladies, 17-year old Melanie Oudin and 19-year old Caroline Wozniacki, as relayed LIVE on ESPN.

Prior to this competition, the name Melanie Oudin meant next to nothing to me. I must say, I’d never even heard of her before. Indeed, many tennis fans would confess they never knew she existed too. But here we are today, at the grandest stage, the last of 4 yet the biggest tennis grand slam event of the year, the US open and the name Melanie Oudin is on everyone’s lips. Oudin’s age and newcomer status are only a couple of the many reasons she has become the focus of the year’s last major tennis championship. The other reason is not far-fetched – she’s swept through the competition like a hurricane, eliminating every opponent. Hold on a second, not just any opponent but people against whom she was the ultimate underdog. The worst-ranked of any of her opponents so far was No. 36 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round. Otherwise, Oudin dismissed No. 4-seeded Elena Dementieva, No. 13-seeded Nadia Petrova and former No. 1-ranked Sharapova. All are somewhere between 3 and 8 inches taller than the 5-foot-6 Oudin. And all, coincidentally, are Russians. By the way, Oudin herself was ranked No. 70

In each of her last three wins, starting against Beijing Olympics gold medalist Dementieva, Oudin lost the first set before coming back to defeat the more experienced, more accomplished player across the net. Here’s how she puts it: “Mentally, I’m staying in there with them the whole time, and I’m not giving up at all,” Oudin says. “If they’re going to beat me, they’re going to have to beat me, because I’m not going to go anywhere.”

That’s what I call BELIEVE, the word she has stamped near the heels of her pink-and-yellow sneakers. Believe, such a strong word. I guess it’s BELIEVE that has brought her this far. Her twin sister, Katherine, believes Melanie will play Serena in the finals. I believe too. But first, she has to overcome Wozniacki who has already taken the first set, 6-2.

If Melanie comes back from behind to win this game, as she done in the last three games, then indeed I believe she would have earned the title: The Darling of the 2009 US Open, regardless of what happens after this game.

Can she do it again? I’m watching.