Oudin's run is fleeting in return

Melanie Oudin, of Marietta, Ga., can show up at next year's U.S. Open back as the up-and-coming teenager just hoping to win some matches.

Advertisement

The darling of the 2009 Open acknowledged relief Wednesday after her run ended this time after only two rounds. Oudin's opponent was the one who was seeded, but the 18-year-old felt the pressure of being the favorite in front of the big crowd of Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Oudin made 38 unforced errors in losing 6-2, 7-5 to 29th-seeded Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine.

"I guess I'm a little tiny bit relieved now," she said. "I can kind of start over -- I guess, like, start over from all the expectations from last year. And now I can just go out and hopefully do really well the rest of the year and keep working hard."

Oudin learned just how much life changes after a surprise run to last year's quarterfinals. She's still a bubbly teen with a word of inspiration written on her sneakers -- "Believe" last year, "Courage" this year. But now everybody expected her to knock off highly ranked players.

"The second I got out there, I did feel really tight," she said of Wednesday's match.

COOL RUNNINGS: Dustin Brown posted a historic victory for Jamaican tennis Wednesday.

Brown beat 92nd-ranked Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain 6-4, 7-6 (6), 7-5 in the opening round, the first win by a Jamaican man at a Grand Slam since 1974.

The 25-year-old Brown was born in Germany (his mother is German), but moved to Jamaica as a child (his father is Jamaican).

NOMINEES: Andre Agassi leads the list of 2011 nominees for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Owner of a career Grand Slam and an eight-time major champion, Agassi is the only nominee in the recent player category. He retired in 2006.

Also on the ballot, announced by the Hall on Wednesday: Thelma Coyne Long and Christine Truman Janes in the master player category, and Mike Davies and Fern Lee "Peachy" Kellmeyer in the contributor category.

The inductees will be announced early next year.

Australia's Long won 19 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles during a career from 1935-58. Britain's Janes won the 1959 French championships singles title.