No. 208 ranked Melanie Oudin of the United States has won her first WTA title, overcoming No. 22 ranked Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the final of the 2012 Aegon Classic in Bermingham, England, a warm-up event for Wimbledon.
Oudin won the rain-delayed, grass-court final 6-4, 6-2.
The 20-year-old Oudin came through qualifying and won eight matches to claim her first tour title at the Wimbledon warm-up event. She also earned a wild card to compete at the All England Club next week.
On Monday, Oudin used a strong forehand and slice on the grass and moved well despite playing seven matches to reach the final.
Jankovic struggled with concentration and movement. She appeared tired at times after the 4-hour, three-set semifinal match against Zheng Jie of China the previous day.
Oudin became the first player ranked outside the top 200 to win a main tour title since Kim Clijsters won the U.S. Open in 2009. The win vaulted Oudin from No. 208 to No. 122 this week and obviously gave her a lot of confidence heading into Wimbledon.
Oudin was eliminated in the second round of French Open last month by Sara Errani, who reached the final. Oudin was a 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinalist, but has struggled since that breakthrough.
