Cinderella stories are what make this sport so great, as fans support underdogs making unlikely title runs.
Just two weeks ago, we saw French qualifier Terence Atmane shock the world in Cincinnati, defeating Flavio Cobolli, Joao Fonseca, Taylor Fritz, and Holger Rune en route to the semifinals.
The week before, Victoria Mboko won her maiden WTA title at the Canadian Open, beating the likes of Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka in Montreal.
As the US Open begins, we eagerly await another star to break out and enjoy a deep run at Flushing Meadows.
Back in 2009, one teenager did just that, as she became a household name after her performances in New York City.
17-year-old Melanie Oudin reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 US Open
After enjoying a successful junior career, American youngster Melanie Oudin graduated to the WTA Tour in 2008.
It wasn’t long before she began making headlines, as Oudin qualified for the fourth round of Wimbledon on her debut in 2009.
| Round | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 4R | Agnieszka Radwanska | Loss | 4-6, 5-7 |
| 3R | Jelena Jankovic | Win | 6-7, 7-5, 6-2 |
| 2R | Yaroslava Shvedova | Win | 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 |
| 1R | Sybille Bammer | Win | 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
| Q3 | Kristina Kucova | Win | 6-3, 6-0 |
| Q2 | Karin Knapp | Win | 6-1, 6-2 |
| Q1 | Sophie Ferguson | Win | 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 |
Looking to carry that momentum forward, Oudin arrived at Flushing Meadows full of confidence.
Producing a dominant display in round one, Oudin defeated Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets 6-1, 6-2, notching her first career win at the US Open.
She was never going to have it that easy in her second-round match, however, taking on the number-four seed, Elena Dementieva.
Just as she did on three occasions at Wimbledon, Oudin dropped the first set, leaving herself on the brink of elimination.
Refusing to give up, the 17-year-old battled back, knocking out Dementieva 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Moving on to round three, Oudin met the 2006 champion Maria Sharapova, who had dropped just six games across her opening two matches.
The American fell behind once more, as Sharapova won the first set 6-3, but forced a decider by winning the second 6-4.
Edging past Sharapova 7-5 in a tight third set, she advanced to her second consecutive Grand Slam fourth round.
It looked like that was as far as she would go when Oudin dropped the first set to Nadia Petrova 1-6, before she embarked on another comeback.
Defeating her fourth Russian player at the 2009 US Open, the teenager won the second and third sets 7-6, 6-3, to book her place in the quarterfinals.
By this point, Oudin was the talk of the tennis world, as the Arthur Ashe Stadium announcers rightly introduced her as ‘America’s newest tennis sensation’.
Unfortunately for Oudin, it was in the quarterfinals that her run came to an end, losing to Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets, 2-6, 2-6.
The semis were a step too far, but the 17-year-old American had certainly captured the hearts and imaginations of all who watched her perform at the US Open.
With such an impressive showing, many predicted Oudin to achieve big things and win major titles over the next few years, although that never quite transpired…
What went wrong for Melanie Oudin?
After winning seven Grand Slam main draw matches in 2009 alone, Oudin won just four matches at majors during the remainder of her professional career.
- 2010 Wimbledon 1R – Melanie Oudin beat Anna-Lena Gronefeld, 6-3, 6-0
- 2010 US Open 1R – Melanie Oudin beat Olga Savchuk, 6-3, 6-0
- 2012 French Open 1R – Melanie Oudin beat Johanna Larsson, 6-3, 6-3
- 2013 French Open 1R – Melanie Oudin beat Tamira Paszek, 6-4, 6-3
After making such an impressive breakthrough in New York, Oudin couldn’t find any consistent form on the WTA Tour, as her ranking soon dipped, after reaching a career high of 31 in the world in the aftermath of her quarterfinal run.
As she continued to struggle, Oudin received more bad news in 2013, when she was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition that can lead to kidney damage.
The American believed she developed rhabdomyolysis due to overtraining, something she began to warn other athletes against doing.
Despite adapting to live a healthier lifestyle, Oudin never made it to the top of the women’s game, which she once seemed destined to reach.
That’s not to say she didn’t have a successful career, however, as she picked up two career titles, at the 2012 Birmingham Classic and at the 2011 US Open in mixed doubles.
Retiring in 2017, Oudin did so as a Grand Slam winner, but perhaps not in the discipline she’d have predicted back in 2009.
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