Melanie Oudin

Okay, I am terribly remiss in my posts about the first week of Wimbledon (or as the locals call it: Wimpleton) and promise to take up the keyboard in a serious fashion soon.

Still, I wanted to take a moment to state my admiration for a rising U.S. star, one Melanie Oudin of Marietta, Georgia. She's a qualifier this year and just completed her 17th pro match today -- beating the Serbian Drama Queen Jelena Jankovic (who apparently suggested to officials during her official meltdown that an ambulance be brought to take her away...).

[My favorite JJ moment? Last year at the US Open, against Arvidsson, when she decided to lay on the main court, face-down, for a good minute or so, after failing to field a drop shot. Well, that and the "I-can't-feel-my-leg" moments, always followed by her racing energetically around the court.]

Oudin played with steel, maturity, and was mostly quite steady. I really came to like her, though, in her post-play interview. She's as yet untouched, almost virginal without being cloyingly stupid about it. She said Venus came over and congratulated her on her win, to which she responded something like: "And congratulations on your winning effort, too, Venus!"

We've needed new blood for a good while. Add on smarts and a good sense of humor? It's almost overload...