the buzz log

Just 17 years old, Melanie Oudin is shaking up women’s tennis on the court and in Yahoo! Search. This weekend at the U.S. Open, the unseeded, 70th-ranked Oudin upset fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva, former No. 1 Maria Sharapova, and 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova to advance to the quarterfinals.

Tennis fans will remember Oudin from Wimbledon, where her defeat of former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic prompted ESPN commentator Pam Shriver to call her victory the biggest breakthrough for an American woman tennis player since Serena Williams first took the U.S. Open. Her vanquished opponent was less impressed. "She cannot hurt you with anything," Jankovic said. "If I felt a little bit more fresh...I could have won in two sets."

With the headlines filling Yahoo! Buzz using phrases like "Oudin roars," "Oudin stuns," and "Oudin juggernaut," no one's talking like that now. And those terms could also apply to Oudin's performance at the Search box, where made a run at Sharapova's crown. Sharapova, ranked No. 29 by the WTA, is nonetheless the perennial No. 1 when it comes to searched-for tennis players. (With queries like “sharapova pictures” and “sharapova hot” adding to her totals, even Roger Federer doesn’t stand a chance.) While Sharapova finished No. 2 in Web searches on Saturday behind Dinara Safina (who, along with Venus Williams, also lost in an upset) searches for Oudin rose a whopping 600%—by far the biggest increase. That  landed her in the top-20 women in Search and left her, among the top searched-for female tennis players this weekend, the only one left in the tournament.

Not bad for a Marietta, Georgia teen.

WTA rankings:

1. Dinara Safina

2. Serena Williams

3. Venus Williams

4. Elena Dementieva

5. Jelena Jankovic

Recent Yahoo! Search rankings:

1. Maria Sharapova

2. Dinara Safina

3. Elena Dementieva

4. Jelena Jankovic

5. Melanie Oudin

    

Filed under: Tennis

Serena and Venus Williams, you heard it here first: Watch your backs.

Because Melanie Oudin is the one to watch. She's a very eager teen with nothing to lose. In fact, she's winning at Wimbledon. The 17-year-old is a native of Marietta, Georgia. But those are no peaches she's smashing across the net. The 124th ranked player beat out 74th ranked Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan to place in the third round of her Wimbledon deubt.

News of the victory gave the up-and-comer a shot of buzz, as tennis fans searched for "melanie oudin," a name that soon, we're guessing, everyone will know.

ESPN marvels that the 5-foot-5 stand-out went pro only a year ago. Not surprisingly, the tennis champ has had a laser focus on tennis for most of her young life. The WTA website relates that the athlete, who has a twin sister, was homeschooled so she had more time to pick up a racket. Her grandmother introduced her to the sport at the age of seven.

But this isn't her grandma's game anymore. SI.com points out that this latest Wimbledon win makes the tennis player one of three Americans to remain at the Grand Slam. The other two: the Williams sisters. Like we said: They better watch their sixes.

Filed under: Sports, Tennis

Wimbledon is a tradition. And we say that in the most traditional sense of the word. What other sporting event asks that players wear all white?

You might think that the stuffy restriction wouldn't leave room for fashion, but you'd be mistaken. Though the tournament is barely under way, fans have already been treated (or subjected to) several memorable outfits from the players.

Maria Sharapova got the fashion show started early with a top that looked to have been inspired by a high school prom. An article from the New York Post declared the tuxedo-style outfit a hit.

While Sharapova's short shorts and wild shirt drew leers, rival Lindsay Davenport's outfit won points for keeping it real. The former champ sported a sleeveless top and pleated skirt that looked like a homage to the 1980s. Though not as unusual as Sharapova's, Davenport's look drew plenty of buzz.

Lindsay's duds may have been a flashback to the days of Chris Evert-Lloyd, but Serena Williams' warmup trenchcoat defies categorization. Ms. Williams took the court in a stark white jacket reminiscent of Bellevue Hospital. Love it or hate it, the look brought in the lookups, and a related article from Sports Illustrated buzzed loudly.

Finally, fashion isn't just for the ladies. Perennial powerhouse Roger Federer made some noise with a very traditional cardigan sweater. The top-ranked player is looking like he could easily advance to the finals... with style.

Filed under: Fashion, Tennis