Melanie Oudin and boyfriend Austin Smith have been dating since January. Melanie Oudin’s Austin Smith talks about those Believe shoes and dating Melanie in a new interview this week.

Over the weekend, LALATE told you that Austin Smith came up with the Believe that appears on the back on Oudin’s shoe. But in unbelievable fashion, this 17 year old unseeded female tennis star has beat out some of the best in the game to advance in the U.S. Open this week - No. 4 Elena Dementieva, No. 29 Maria Sharapova, and No. 13 Nadia Petrova on Monday.

Next up Oudin meets in the Quarterfinales the most winning female on the tour, 19 year old Caroline Wozniacki, seeded 9 out of Denmark.

Austin met Melanie while the two were training at the Racquet Club of the South in Atlanta. Austin Smith explains in a new interview that Melanie’s BELIEF on the shoe was his idea but inspired by a coach’s shirt:

“She didn’t want to put her name. and I had an old coach who used to always wear shirts that had ‘believe’ on them so I suggested that. Because her belief in herself is so strong and so important to her doing so well.”

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For continuing coverage of the Melanie Oudin on LALATE, from her shoes to her boyfriend, click here: http://news.lalate.com/category/melanie-oudin.