(March 12, 2012) -- The BNP Paribas Open continues to be a springboard for young American talent and this year's event is no exception with both
Ryan Harrison and
Christina McHale continuing to serve notice that they are players to watch for the future. But it's the surprising run of another wildcard into the fourth round that has many fans not only applauding her efforts, but also asking a basic question, "Who exactly is
Jamie Hampton?"
Born in Frankfurt, Germany due to her father being in the Army, the 22-year old Hampton currently resides in Atlanta, but grew up in Auburn, Alabama, a place not exactly known for its tennis. Still, after watching tennis on TV as a young kid, Hampton decided to try it out.
"No one in my family played tennis," said in her post-match press conference after defeating No. 12 seed
Jelena Jankovic. "My dad actually played a little bit of high school tennis, but it was in Arkansas, which is less than Alabama. So he took me to the courts and I started playing and I really liked it. I had good hand/eye, so I took it up."
A standout junior player, Hampton suffered a wrist injury at age 15 that required surgery at 19 and it was only after that she was able to fully commit herself to the sport. Hampton turned pro in September of 2009 and went on to win four ITF events in 2010.
Hampton started seeing better results on the main tour this January after she reached the second round of Melbourne and the round of 16 in Memphis. But it's only been at Indian Wells that her self-described athletic game has finally started paying dividends for the American.
When asked to describe her game for someone who might have never seen her play, Hampton said, "I think I can do a little bit of everything. I can play offense; I can play defense; I can take time away; I can serve well. I can return well; I have a backup plan if Plan A is not working."
Since she's already reached her goal of breaking into the top 100 this year, Hampton may want to aim even higher than her new goal of reaching the top 70. There's talk that Hampton with her rising ranking could just make the U.S. Olympic team in June if her stellar plays holds up this spring. But first, Hampton will need to focus on her next match at Indian Wells which will be a fourth round encounter with No. 5 seed
Agnieszka Radwanska.