Melanie Oudin captured the hearts of tennis fans as she made a spirited run to the quarterfinals defeating Russians Elena Dementieva along the way.

After seeing her ranking jump from 177 in the world in 2008 to 49 in the world last year, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour recognized Oudin as the 2009 Tour Newcomer of the Year. The young American also helped lead the United States Fed Cup team to the World Group Fed Cup Final in 2009 and 2010.

Earlier this year in February, Oudin reached the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour indoor event in Paris and in April, she attained her career high singles ranking of 31 in the world. Oudin is currently ranked 44 in the world (as of July 26, 2010).

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