Melanie Oudin earns USTA's French Open wild card
About 2 years after her captivating run to the U.S. Open quarterfinals, Melanie Oudin of Marietta, Ga., has earned a wild card into the French Open.
The U.S. Tennis Association says Sunday the 20-year-old Oudin got the berth at Roland Garros based on results at USTA Pro Circuit clay-court tournaments at Dothan, Ala., Charlottesville, Va., and Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. She won the title at Charlottesville and reached the second round at the others.
As an unseeded teen at the 2009 U.S. Open, wearing shoes with "Believe" stamped on the side, Oudin beat Maria Sharapova and two other seeded players. She later reached 31st in the rankings.
But Oudin slumped since and lost in the first round at six of the next eight major tournaments.
She's ranked 278th now.
