The thesaurus has been thumbed to death during the U.S. Open, as people search for new adjectives to describe Melanie Oudin.

Feisty, gutsy and spunky. Fresh and refreshing, cute and adorable. The next saviour of American tennis.

The 17-year-old's run to the quarterfinals has rescued a women's event that's been as excruciating as a root canal.

But her success is also directly related to the current state of the women's game.

Oudin is where she is because she's fresh meat. She doesn't yet feel the pressure, hasn't yet played with so much at stake, hasn't yet suffered the wear and tear on her body and emotions caused by years of top-level tennis.

She isn't yet afraid to lose, or afraid to win. She just hits the ball and competes.

All credit to her;...

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Related Topics: US Open 2009 tennis, Melanie Oudin