Oudin just what the New York fans want

When you come to New York for the U.S. Open, you come expecting to hear a loud raucous crowd. One that has survived another sweltering summer in the Big Apple and looking for an underdog to call their own for the two weeks in late August and early September.

This year they’ve found it in 17 year Melanie Oudin. The fireplug from Georgia who’s battled her way to the quarterfinals by knocking off three of the world’s top players, including former Open champ Maria Sharapova. On Labor Day, Oudin sent fans at the Aurthur Ashe Tennis Center into a frenzy with a stirring comeback against Nadia Petrova, 1-6, 7-6, 6-3.

Just five points from victory, Petrova witnessed the comeback kid’s grit first hand as she was unable to turn the momentum after Oudin hit what Petrova called an unbelievable winner. With the New York crowd behind her, the teenager, whose defensive game can wear you down and who was ranked 221st in the world a year ago became the only American other than Serena Williams to reach the quarters.

New Yorkers love a story like Oudin’s. They celebrate career curtain call finishes like those of Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi. They want to see players who show the grit and grime of their city. Those who will get down in the imaginary dirt and fight for a championship even if they fall in the end.

Oudin’s goal coming into the Open was to break into the top 50. Now that she’s reached the quarters and says she’s found she can play with these girls, she’s hoping to become the next American tennis star with an open title in hand. Win or lose in the coming days, she’s staked a claim in a city that celebrates the fighters in sports.