In fact, she even adopted the Mets old motto of “Believe” even writing it on the sneakers she uses during her matches.
 
“For me, it's all about that,” said Oudin, who is following up her impressive four round run at Wimbledon with a the first major upset of the Open, beating No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Oudin followed with another upset, beating 2006 champion Maria Sharapova.“It's believing that I can beat these girls and hang with them.
 
“If I didn't have that, then there's no way I would have been able to win. Believing in myself and my shots and playing within myself, that's how I won. It's knowing I could do it.”
 
In a sport dominated by Eastern European women and the Williams Sisters, the Marietta, GA native is a breath of fresh air. Just three days after Andre Agassi told the press there needs to be a grass roots movement to develop more American stars, Oudin just might be the answer. First, she beat Jelena Jankovic over at Wimbledon and now Dementieva and Sharapova in Queens.
 
“I go out there and play my game,” Oudin said. “When I play with no fear, that's when I play my best. I don't worry about anything. I just play my game and it usually works.”
 
Even with the fame that comes with success at the Grand Slams, Oudin is still the same girl from Georgia. She seems very grounded, while relying upon a strong family network to back her up, including her boyfriend Austin Smith, who is at all her matches.
 
“It's good to have a boyfriend, I think, in the tennis business” Oudin said. “Because you on the road so much and by yourself a lot. It's good to have someone to talk to.”
 
She also has a fraternal twin, Katherine, who also played tennis. Oudin describes her as her opposite.   “Katherine chose to go the college route to study to be an obstetrician instead of going pro.”
 
Even without a tennis relation, Oudin does have her idols. She said she models her game after two-time champion Justine Henin, who shares the same height at 5'6''.
 
“The first thing that it proved to me is that you don't have to be six-foot something to be No. 1 in the world,” she said. “But also, the way she plays, the way she moves, the ways she uses all different shots  and the entire court with her dropshot and her angles.”
 
“Her one-handed backhand is so good. I don't have a one hander, but it's still okay. She figures out a way to take down these players that overpower her with her variety and her movement.”
 
Right now, in U.S. Tennis, the young player is ranked just behind Serena and Venus Williams as the third best Women's American Tennis player. “It's really cool to be called the third best American behind the Williams sisters, she said, but added. “It hasn't really affected me, because I don't pay attention to what other people say.”
 
And that includes her car. With her new found wealth in winnings this year - around $245,000 before the Open - Oudin decided to pass on all the toys a 17 year-old would want and kept her life pretty much the same as before. She even kept the same Toyota Forerunner, which she says she “loves.”
 
Smart, outspoken, fearless, practical and good looking. No wonder why she was considered a breath of fresh air at this year's Open. Although the miracle ended in a loss to Caroline Wozniacki, this 17 year-old from Marietta, GA has nothing to be ashamed about, in fact, after her performances at both Wimbledon and Flushing, she's quickly establishing herself as a force on the tour.
 
Ya Gotta Believe!