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By Ravi Ubha for USOPEN.ORG, Saturday, September 5, 2009

Melanie Oudin (USA) celebrates after defeating Maria Sharapova (RUS) [29] 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a third round match on Day 6 of the 2009 US Open.

Another Russian, another big comeback win for Melanie Oudin.

Oudin, two days after rallying against fourth seed Elena Dementieva, cemented her status as the women’s darling of the tournament by eliminating three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a jubilant Arthur Ashe stadium.

The 17-year-old from Georgia eventually took advantage of Sharapova’s serving woes Saturday to reach the fourth round of a major for the second straight time, no minor achievement.

“Getting to play Maria was an unbelievable experience for me,” said Oudin, whose upper left leg was still heavily taped. “She’s such a great competitor, a great player. I just had a blast playing there today. I proved to myself that I can compete with these top girls. And if I believe in myself and my game, then I can beat them.”

Needing two hours, 45 minutes to see off Dementieva – more than Sharapova’s first two matches combined – the diminutive baseliner wore down the 2006 champion in 2:58.

No extravagant celebration is planned, simply a nice dinner.

The win was more impressive considering Oudin’s tough first set. Oudin only converted two of 10 break chances and held serve once, overpowered by Sharapova’s fierce returns. The second set proved to be the turning point.

Oudin almost blew a 5-1 lead, pegged back to 5-4, finally putting Sharapova away on a seventh set point. The third was mostly high-quality stuff, countering the first two sets, which produced a combined 75 unforced errors and 29 winners.

How Sharapova must be disappointed. She suggested Thursday the confidence was slowly returning in the wake of shoulder surgery that instigated a new service motion. Only a combined 11 double faults surfaced in her first two tussles.

She coughed up 21 versus Oudin and took a medical timeout midway in the third, her right arm receiving the attention.

“Just couldn’t decelerate today,” Sharapova said. “I was hitting second serves no less than 95 miles per hour. I even tried to hit it less, and I just couldn’t.”

Sharapova broke for a 2-0 lead in the first, although Oudin quickly fought back for 2-2. A run of three straight games allowed Sharapova to go ahead 5-2, and after dropping serve, she closed things out in 52 minutes.

What a turnaround in the second, when Sharapova hit 24 unforced errors and seven more double faults. Oudin, by contrast, picked up her game to race to a 4-1 advantage. The fifth game held much importance.

Down 0-40, Oudin saved all three break points to get to 5-1. Then the nerves, yes, Oudin appears to have them, set in. Oudin quickly squandered one set point, three more passed by with Sharapova serving at 5-3, and Sharapova reduced a 0-40 advantage to 30-40 with some blistering ground strokes in the ninth game.

Sharapova had Oudin on the ropes on the next point, too, but paid the price for not approaching on a good forehand and later sent a forehand wide.

Oudin broke to start the third, and by the middle of the set, had Sharapova on the ropes. Unable to apply the knockout punch by missing a flurry of break points at 3-1 – including a routine smash – Sharapova held. Following Sharapova’s medical timeout, Oudin dipped and the score went to 3-3, starting a sequence of breaks.

Sharapova, matching Oudin’s cries of ``come on’’ earlier, stayed silent.

A trade of breaks made it 4-4, with Oudin regaining the lead thanks to a monstrous forehand return.

Trying to serve it out, Sharapova clawed back again, breaking with a forehand into the corner after working Oudin around the court. A double fault helped Oudin nudge to 6-5, and this time there was no Sharapova reply.

“She certainly held her ground,” Sharapova said. “I still feel like I had my chances, even though it wasn’t my best day. When you let those chances go, it’s just frustrating. But I got to hand it to her. She really stuck to her game plan and played solid. She made me hit a lot of balls.”

Fittingly the two exchanged a warm handshake when it was over, and Sharapova was quick to point out Oudin has a bright future.

Guess what? A fourth straight Russian, 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova, is up next.

“I haven’t really watched Petrova that much,” Oudin said. “I’m going to go into it like any other match and hopefully play well.”