Melanie Oudin wins first WTA title in Birmingham

Melanie Oudin, still best known as the 2009 US Open wonder kid, lifted her first WTA trophy by defeating former world No.1 and former champion Jelena Jankovic in the final of Birmingham. The 20-year-old Oudin came through qualifying and won a total of eight matches to make that career milestone.

Oudin was ranked 208th during the Birmingham week, the win climbed her to No.122, but she used to be No.31 a few months after her fourth round at Wimbledon 2009 followed by the US Open quarterfinals.

At the beginning of the AEGON Classic it didn’t seem that the American’s freefall would end, as Oudin wasn’t even seeded in the qualifying, in her first match the tiebreak was 10-8 and she survived many three-setters, including victories over seed No.10 Sorana Cirstea in the first round and eighth seed Ekaterina Makarova in the semifinals. In the final against the fifth-seeded Jankovic, Oudin finished the job more straightforwardly, 6-4 6-2, increasing her head-to-head record against the Serb to 2-0. Despite losing the final, Jankovic can be satisfied for making the best appearance at a tournament since last year and for getting back to the Top 20. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

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