Melanie started her tennis about when she was in her 7th grade with the blessings of her grandmother, who gifted her first racquet . She was a former world junior no.2 who turned professional in February 2008 and rose quickly in her Women’s Tennis Association rankings to reach her current ranking of No.70 this year.

Melanie’s stint at Wimbledon this year was in itself a prelude of things to come. Ranked no.124 then, she demolished the likes of 29th seed Sybilla Banner, 55th seed Yaroslava Shvedova and 6th seed Jelena Jankovic to rise to No.70 in the women’s rankings.

In September this year she got her second consecutive chance to play at the U.S. open. She was dauntless and displayed a strong mindset, not the least bit worried about her height or the reputation of her prospective opponents. She showed true resolve to put the anguish of her first round defeat at the last U.S. open and went about steadfastly regrouping her confidence for this year’s showdown. She drew solid inspiration from her idol in tennis, Justin Henin who was a former world no.1 and just 5’ 5” tall

Her Coach and mentor, Brian De Villiers, instills humility and strength of purpose in her, never allows her to forget her roots and guides her on never being awed by the opposition’s physical or celebrity status.

The U.S. open at Flushing Meadows showcases the Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium and this is where Melanie arrived for her tryst with destiny. Her giant killer reputation preceded her after her heroic exploits at the Wimbledon and many held forth the prophecy that her experiences of the recent past would propel her to inch her way to the top.

All of America prayed for her and cherished the hope that here was a worthy successor to Venus and Serena Williams who were slowly eclipsing to the status of heroines of the past. Melanie was nicknamed ‘little red runner’ by John McEnroe and ‘Cinderella’ by the public at large. When the tournament started, she quickly got through her first round. In the second round, she defeated 6th seed Elena Dementieva, in the third, she vanquished Maria Sharapova in the fourth round she sent 13th seed Nadia Petrova packing.

This earned her the nickname ‘Russian Slayer.’ It was in the next and quarter final round that she met her Waterloo at the hands of Caroline Wozniacki, 9th seed and a 19 years old compact Danish player who never allowed Melanie to recoup her game, in spite of her last ditch attempts to rally her game towards the end of the first set and beginning or the second. The crowd cheered for every point she earned and sighed with each one she lost.

However, it was what happened after the game that focused world attention on this teenager who came from a lusterless past to electrify the nation and the world. The press adopted her as their darling. When Melanie warmly congratulated her opponent after the match, the crowd roared their appreciation. In a rare interview thereafter with ESPN, she wished Caroline the best for her next match. The press went overboard and declared that politicians would do well to emulate her grace in defeat. She was a true exponent of a saying I read somewhere that ‘a man is not known for what he achieved, but for the way he lived his life.’ Does this not sound a fitting tribute to Melanie Oudin?