Ranked 1,208th in the world, Catherine “CiCi” Bellis beat the 12th seeded player yesterday at the U.S. Open.
Here are the highlights of her incredible story.
1. She’s the Youngest to Win an Open Match Since ’96
Getty
On August 26, she beat 12 seeded Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the tournament’s second round.
After her winning match, she told the WSJ, “I never thought I would come out on top winning.”
2. She’s From California
The athlete was born in San Francisco and now lives in Atherton, California.
She started playing tennis at age 3.
Her Twitter handle, @cicibellis99, profile is “Tennis all dayyyyy❤️”
3. She’s Homeschooled
The teen is still interested in possibly pursuing a college education.
She told the WSJ, “It’s a better option for me right now to keep my options open with college rather than putting all of my eggs in one basket and going pro.”
Catherine Bellis in 2011. RT @heelsrule1988: the girl that's giving domi fits right now, folks pic.twitter.com/JTkwm3ZyWx
— Lindsay Gibbs (@linzsports) August 26, 2014
There she is three years ago with with Sharapova and Hantuchova.
4. Her Nickname is CiCi
#USOpen2014 :15yr old Catherine Bellis stunned Dominika Cibulkova in the 1st round http://t.co/ht2M975T75 #TeenWonder pic.twitter.com/JPWx3p7gPM
— HT Sports (@HTSportsNews) August 27, 2014
5. She Believes
The newest star had a positive attitude throughout her first Open match, which she felt enabled her to succeed.
Believing was the number one thing I had to do today. If you don’t believe, there’s one option, and if you do believe, then there’s two options. You can believe and lose or believe and win, but if you don’t believe, you’re gonna lose anyway.
Comments
Catherine ‘CiCi’ Bellis: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know