Local Marietta American teenager Melanie Oudin’s spectacular run at the US Open gathered momentum when she beat Russian 13th seed Nadia Petrova 1-6 7-6 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

The 17-year-old has captured the imagination of the home public by rolling over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, fourth seed Elena Dementieva and 2006 champion Maria Sharapova.

On day eight of the last major tournament of the year, Oudin again whipped up the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium into a frenzy when she fought back from a set down to put Petrova on to the Flushing Meadows scrapheap.

Backed by 23,000 screaming fans, Oudin sealed victory by belting a forehand winner on her third match point. She will next face either a fifth successive Russian, French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, or Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki for a place in the semis.

Two days after beating former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, the unseeded Melanie Oudin (above) fell in straight sets to 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska. “I’m very proud of myself how I did here,” the 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., said Monday after losing 6-4, 7-5 to 11th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska. “I think it’s just like another step that I’m taking. Now I know that I can play with these girls and this is what I want to do, and this is what I want to be.”

Marietta native Melanie Oudin is a 17 year old tennis player with promising future. Melanie is currently ranked 124th in the world.