Troy University Athletics
Troy Classic Finalist Advances at Wimbledon
6/28/2009 2:45:00 AM | Tennis
WIMBLEDON, England - Melanie Oudin, a 2008 finalist in the USTA Tennis Classic of Troy, has pulled off a few upsets and now finds herself in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon.
Oudin, a 17 year-old native of Marietta, Georgia, defeated No. 6 seed Jelena Jankovic on Saturday in three sets, 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-2, advancing her to the fourth round.
The upset victory came on Court 3 at the All England Club, a court known as the "Graveyard of Champions." Jankovic was ranked No.1 in the world for 17 consecutive weeks during 2008. She reached the finals in the 2008 U.S. Open where she lost to Serena Williams.
"This is a tremendous tournament for Melanie and will move her up in the rankings heading into the summer," said Troy head tennis coach Eric Hayes, "seeing a player come through our tournament and do this at a grand slam event makes all the work worth it."
Oudin had to win three rounds of qualifying matches just to make it into the main draw at the third grand slam of the year.
In the first round of the main draw, Oudin defeated No. 29 Sybille Bammer, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. She then defeated Yaroslave Shvedova in the second round, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Shvedova ranked No. 74 in the world.
Oudin will next take on Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, the No. 11 seed, in a fourth round match on Monday, seeking a birth in the quarterfinal round.
Oudin, who entered the tournament ranked No. 124 in the world, joins fellow Americans Serena and Venus Williams in the fourth round.
