NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic were left punched-out, breathless wrecks after their U.S. Open dreams were dashed in the second round yesterday by a pair of young opportunists.
On a day when top seed Dinara Safina was again lucky to survive, teenager Melanie Oudin was hailed as the new sweetheart of American tennis as she dazzled fourth seed Dementieva 5-7 6-4 6-3.
Flushing Meadows was still buzzing with Oudin’s spectacular feat when Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova provided the second shock of the day, saving two match points to squeeze past 2008 runner-up and fifth seed Jankovic 6-3 6-7 7-6.
Teenager Oudin looked close to tears as she struggled with cramps and a left thigh strain but blocked out the pain to hustle out an opponent who began playing on the WTA Tour when the American was just six years old.
As Oudin fired down an unreturnable serve to seal Dementieva’s fate, 23,000 hollering fans rose to their feet on Arthur Ashe Stadium to salute the player many believe will spearhead the next generation of American tennis.
“I am so excited, you have no idea,” gushed the 70th-ranked Oudin as she basked under the sunshine in a courtside interview.
Safina was anything but excited as she shrieked and screamed her way through another battle of wills to defeat 67th-ranked German Kristina Barrois 6-7 6-2 6-3.
Forty eight hours after huffing and puffing past obscure Australian wildcard Olivia Rogowska, a misfiring Safina again found herself a break down in the deciding set before her fighting instincts kicked in to carry her into round three.
So far, the Russian’s U.S. Open struggles was summed up by 26 double faults and 86 unforced errors in just two matches.
“I know I’m not playing my best but I’m still fighting,” said Safina, who was once again quizzed about her status as world number one despite not owning a grand slam title.
“There are so many players who won a grand slam and where they are now? Nowhere. But number one will always stay there. People remember you by number one, not by winning a grand slam.”
Like Safina, Dementieva too has yet to win one of the four majors. But she had been the best player on the women’s tour in the run up to the Open and stood to pocket a cool $1 million bonus if she had captured her first title in New York.
Instead she blew her chance for a big pay day when she ran into an inspired Oudin.
At 17, Oudin would not look out of place if she had been running down the corridors of an American high school and has admitted she envies her twin’s regular lifestyle.
But yesterday, Oudin the tennis player was the envy of girls and boys across the country when she pulled off the biggest upset of this year’s tournament.
A dejected Dementieva blamed her defeat on playing too much ‘during the summer’ before adding: “She’s very talented. She was in the court and not afraid to play. It’s just the beginning, but it looks like she has a good future.”
Oudin’s victory was even more remarkable because at 3-1 up in the third set, she appeared to be breaking down in tears as she started to cramp.
But the player who draws inspiration from Justine Henin because “she proved you don’t have to be six-foot-something to be number one in the world” was soon meting out more punishment on Dementieva.
Seeming to play almost on tip-toes to make up for her 12-cm (five-inch) height handicap, the 1.68-metre tall (5-foot-6) Oudin buzzed around court in her bright pink and yellow shoes to sting Dementieva with her rasping drives and two-fisted backhands.
After two hours 45 minutes of high drama, victory was hers. Next up for Oudin could be Maria Sharapova if the Russian overcomes American wildcard Christina McHale.
“The whole thing was just amazing. I can’t believe I won,” grinned Oudin, who beat former world number one Jankovic en route to reaching the last 16 at this year’s Wimbledon.
Jankovic joined fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic on the Open scrapheap thanks to her lack of conviction in converting the two match points she held in the final set tiebreak, the second of which evaporated with an overcooked forehand.
French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova avoided all the drama with a 6-4 6-2 win over Latvian Anastasija Sevastsova, while fellow Russian and 13th seed Nadia Petrova was a 6-4 7-6 winner over France’s Julie Coin.
Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki almost pulled off a perfect victory when she beat Croatian Petra Martic 6-1 6-0.
Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick will complete the night session against Frenchman Marc Gicquel, while Serb Novak Djokovic will also be in action.
