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Mel's Moment: Oudin Sends USA Into Fed Cup Semifinals
(February 7, 2010) Melanie Oudin's head was so still you could have balanced a ball on top of it without fear of the yellow felt sphere falling to the red clay that streaked the socks in crimson splotches.
While her feet were preoccupied with doing the dirty work in the most important Fed Cup match of her young career, Oudin's eyes never wavered from her mission.
The feisty, 5-foot-6 Oudin came up big for the United States today, clawing back from an early break down to score a stubborn 7-6, 6-4 victory over Julie Coin that was as much about her grit as her game. Oudin's willful win gave the Americans an insurmountable 3-0 lead over host France in the best-of-five match Fed Cup World Group first round tie on the red clay of the Stade Couvert Regional Lievin in Lievin, France.
The victory vaults the USA into its sixth straight semifinal.
"In the beginning, I was a bit nervous and she was serving great, but as the match advanced I got more and more confident and I’m obviously thrilled that I was able to allow the U.S. to go to the semis," said Oudin.
Seeking their record-extending 18th Fed Cup championship, the Americans will host four-time Fed Cup champ Russia in the April 24-25th semifinals. Russia edged World Group débutante Serbia, 3-2.
Oudin's forceful forehand, her fighting spirit and fast feet are her best weapons and she put all of them to use — as well as some sharp angles and a bit of variety — to subdue Coin, who replaced the fragile Alize Cornet as the starter after Cornet dropped to 0-7 lifetime in Fed Cup competition with her 7-6(7), 7-5 loss to Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Friday's opening match. Cornet squandered a 5-2 first-set lead and four set points in bowing to a determined Mattek-Sands.
Oudin, who held off Pauline Parmentier, 6-4, 6-4, to stake the USA to a 2-0 lead on Saturday, was frequently forced to hit off her back foot at the outset today. Coin played more assertive tennis in breaking to open the match and taking a 3-1 lead she eventually stretched to 4-3.
But Oudin, who often seems to dig herself an early hole just to give herself cause to get even more fired up, stormed back and though she squandered a set point at 5-4, she hung tough in the tie break. Oudin set herself and smacked a forehand winner down the line to seize the first set with a clenched fist.
Serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, Oudin crunched a crosscourt forehand winner that left Coin at a standstill to take a 30-15 lead. Two points later, Oudin drilled a forehand into the body. Coin clanked a mis-hit off her frame and it was over.
Photo Caption: USTA President Lucy Garvin, Melanie Oudin and ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti
WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND
ITALY defeated UKRAINE 4-1
Venue: Palace of Sports "Lokomotiv", Kharkiv, UKR (hard – indoors)
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 61 64
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 75 63
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 75 76(3)
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 26 61 61
Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (ITA) d. Mariya Koryttseva/Viktoria Kutuzova (UKR) 61 63
CZECH REPUBLIC defeated GERMANY 3-2
Venue: Brno Exhibition Centre, Brno , CZE (hard – indoors)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) d. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 62 62
Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Andrea Petkovic (GER) 64 64
Lucie Hradecka (CZE) d. Andrea Petkovic (GER) 61 76(5)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) d. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 46 63 62
Lucie Hradecka/Kveta Peschke (CZE) d. Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Tatjana Malek (GER) 61 63
RUSSIA defeated SERBIA 3-2
Venue: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade , SRB (hard – indoors)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 61 64
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 46 64 60
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 63 46 63
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) d. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 62 63
Alisa Kleybanova/Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Ana Ivanovic/Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 61 64
USA defeated FRANCE 4-1
Venue: Stade Couvert Regional Lievin, Lievin, FRA (clay – indoors)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands ( USA ) d. Alize Cornet (FRA) 76(7) 75
Melanie Oudin ( USA ) d. Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 64 64
Melanie Oudin ( USA ) d. Julie Coin (FRA) 76(3) 64
Pauline Parmentier (FRA) d. Christina McHale ( USA ) 64 64
Liezel Huber/Bethanie Mattek-Sands ( USA ) d. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro/Alize Cornet (FRA) 62 63
WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND
AUSTRALIA defeated SPAIN 3-2
Venue: Memorial Drive, Adelaide , AUS (hard – outdoors)
Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) 26 61 64
Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) d. Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 62 63
Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 61 63
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) d. Alicia Molik (AUS) 61 61
Samantha Stosur/Rennae Stubbs (AUS) d. Nuria Llagostera Vives/Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) 64 62
BELGIUM defeated POLAND 3-2
Venue: Hala Sportowo-Widowiskowa "Luczniczka", Bydgoszcz , POL (hard – indoors)
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d, Marta Domachowska (POL) 46 61 63
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 62 76(5)
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. 16 76(6) 75
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) d. Marta Domachowska (POL) 63 76(6)
Klaudia Jans/Alicja Rosolska (POL) d. An-Sophie Mestach/Sofie Oyen (BEL) 63 36 61
ESTONIA defeated ARGENTINA 4-1
Venue: Tere Sport Tennis Club, Tallinn , EST (hard – indoors)
Maret Ani (EST) d. Maria Irigoyen (ARG) 61 62
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 61 75
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Aranza Salut (ARG) 61 61
Maret Ani (EST) d. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 62 63
Mailen Auroux/Maria Irigoyen (ARG) d. Margit Ruutel/Anett Schutting (EST) 75 64
SLOVAK REPUBLIC defeated CHINA, P.R. 3-2
Venue: Sibamac Arena, Bratislava , SVK (hard – indoors)
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