Oudin's latest win was the biggest so far: She knocked off three-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 Sharapova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 Saturday to reach the U.S. Open's fourth round.
"I can compete with these top girls," Melanie Oudin said. "And if I believe in myself, and my game, then I can beat them."
She's wearing pink-and-yellow sneakers with the word "BELIEVE" stamped near the heel -- it was her boyfriend's idea -- and that mantra clearly has served Oudin well.
"I just had a blast," said Oudin, who buried her face in a towel and sobbed on the sideline when the match ended.
"I don't even know what to say right now," Oudin said, choking back tears in her post-match interview in Arthur Ashe Stadium. "Thank you so much for cheering for me."
It wasn't all that long ago that Sharapova was the up-and-comer, the 17-year-old who won Wimbledon, then tried to make a cell phone call to Mom right there on Centre Court.
So heed Sharapova's words when she says of Oudin: "I certainly think she has a great future ahead of her."
