NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Unseeded American upstart Melanie Oudin added the scalp of another Russian to her growing list of victims when she upset Nadia Petrova to reach the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open yesterday.
When she smacked a forehand winner on her third match point, Oudin dropped her racket and looked at the sky while the capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium roared its approval.
“Today there are no tears because I believed that I could do it,” the 17-year-old said after the 1-6 7-6 6-3 victory, her fourth straight against a Russian.
“Now I know that I do belong here. This is what I want to do, and I can compete with these girls no matter who I’m playing. I have a chance against anyone.”
Elsewhere on another day of glorious weather at Flushing Meadows, five-times champion Roger Federer crushed 14th seed Tommy Robredo of Spain 7-5 6-2 6-2 and will play Swede Robin Soderling, the man he beat to win his first French Open title earlier this year, in the quarter-finals.
Federer, who has dropped only one set in four matches so far, carved out 35 winners, nine aces and no double faults in a dominant one-hour and 48-minute victory.
Soderling advanced when eighth seed Nikolay Davydenko retired midway through their match with a thigh injury.
Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko needed only 47 minutes to oust Argentine Gisela Dulko 6-0 6-0 and reach her first grand slam singles quarter-final where she will play Belgian Yanina Wickmayer.
CINDERELLA FROM
GEORGIA
But it was Oudin who lit up Flushing Meadows again, a Cinderella from Georgia who was doing everything she could do prevent the clock from striking midnight.
Her play energised the more than 23,000 who chose to spend Labor Day watching America’s newest darling reach the final eight for the first time in a grand slam tournament.
The crowd also gave Oudin a boost just when it looked that Petrova might end her dream run.
“It’s really a great feeling,” the 70th-ranked Oudin said of her support. “Everyone stood up when I had my first match point. Just when I won the second set, a standing ovation. It’s crazy how many people are cheering for me and supporting me.”
Oudin opened her dizzying run by defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, then shocked fourth seed Elena Dementieva and former champion Maria Sharapova.
She insists there are no secrets on how to beat a Russian.
“I don’t think they had weaknesses,” she said. “Every single match has been so competitive and so close, and I’ve been able to pull it out in the end.”
The fleet-footed Oudin scampers around the court like her idol, former world number one Justine Henin. She chased down everything Petrova threw at her.
“When you do it for the first time you feel so excited and everything is so new and you have absolutely nothing to lose and you go and you do it,” Petrova said of Oudin.
“She’s on a roll, you know. She goes, enjoys it, crowd is behind her. She’s having a blast out there.”
