Georgia girl Oudin upsets seeded Petrova
Melanie Oudin: an appetite for beating Russians
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Monday, 07, Sep 2009 11:37
By James Christie
Teenage tennis sensation Melanie Oudin, of Georgia, USA, will have the US Open quarter-finals on her mind after knocking out the seeded Nadia Petrova.
The 17-year-old came from a set and a break down to prove that victories over Russians Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva in earlier rounds were no flukes.
Things had looked bleak for the feisty American when she lost the first set 6-1. But after clinching the second set tiebreak 7-2 she never looked back and broke serve twice to clinch the decider 6-3.
Unlucky number 13 seed Petrova can't have enjoyed being occasionally booed by the partisan New York crowd. Her opponent, naturally, was more appreciative of the atmosphere. "You guys have been awesome," she told the paying spectators at her post-match on-court interview.
Family pride was a motivating factor as Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko inflicted a double-bagel 6-0, 6-0 humiliation on Argentina's Gisela Dulko.
Dulko, who yesterday watched her home country lose a crunch football match to bitter rivals Brazil, had defeated Bondarenko's sister Alona in an earlier round.
"I got some messages to get revenge," the winning Bondarenko sister explained, adding: "She kissed me five times - I think she is very happy."
Petra Kvitova, the woman who sent world number one Dinara Safina packing in round four, isn't so happy. She lost to Czech player Petra Kvitova in three close sets.