Bellis brings confidence, talent home
She took the tennis world by storm, enrapturing even the most casual fans around the country, and then she disappeared. Perhaps you’re wondering what happened to Catherine Cartan “CiCi” Bellis, the Atherton teenager who became such a central figure at last year’s U.S. Open.
Well, nothing happened. Nothing awful, and that’s always a relief in the cutthroat world of junior tennis. At 16, she remains a high-energy player on the rise, and as the pro tour makes its annual stop at Stanford this week, she’ll be making a bigstage appearance on her home ground for the first time.
The Bank of the West tournament may have lost some appeal with Serena Williams’ withdrawal (due to an injury), but Bellis is here to help. Few players anywhere in tennis are more fun to watch. If you were teaching a seminar on presence — that unmistakable look of confidence that works so well anywhere in life — she could be a shining example.
She charges into a match like she owns it, and sometimes that’s half the battle in a sport where sour body language is instantly
exposed. That was probably the most appealing aspect of her stunning first-round upset of Dominika Cibulkova, then ranked 13th in the world, at the Open. “I was talking about that with my parents the other day,” she said in a telephone interview, “how if you’re a really young player in a big tournament, you can beat players just by the way you handle yourself. That’s always the way I act, and the way I try to play.”
The Stanford schedule will be announced Sunday evening (first-round matches will be Monday and Tuesday), but we know that Bellis got a break in the first round, drawing a qualifier. That will be a winnable match for Bellis, who has risen to No. 152 in the world while playing mostly junior events (Taylor Townsend, viewed by many as the most talented American junior, has fallen to 167). After that — could be trouble. Agnieszka Radwanska, ranked seventh in the world and coming off a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon, will await the winner.
Whatever takes place, it’s not likely to involve intimidation.
Once the Open’s glaring spotlight faded, Bellis went about the business of survival. She finished 2014 in style, becoming the youngest player since 2006 to earn the world’s No. 1 junior ranking. Although she lost in the first round of this year’s French Open, it was a major accomplishment to qualify. She earned an entry at Miami, one of the most prestigious events on the women’s tour, and convincingly avenged her U.S. Open loss to Zarina Diyas 6-2, 6-1.
Unfortunately, her next opponent was Serena — and it went quickly, 6-1, 6-1 in 41 minutes. “That was so scary, playing her,” Bellis admitted. “Just walking onto the court and seeing her, words can’t describe how nervous I was. But it was a great experience. I’ll think about that forever, and it really helped me as far as playing high-ranked players. The next time I play one of those matches, I’ll be a lot more ready.”
Showing considerable restraint, Bellis and her parents have resisted the urge to turn pro. They don’t feel it would make sense until she achieves a certain ranking — unspoken, but most likely within the top 100 — and college remains an option. It’s safe to say that Stanford, just down the road from home, wouldn’t mind having Bellis (who is homeschooled) as its No. 1 singles player.
“I feel she could be more successful going to Stanford for four years,” her mother, Lori, told Tennis.com. “Then she can write her own ticket. She’s so smart, and her favorite subject is math. She could work for a venture firm and make a billion times more than she’d make in tennis.”
That major decision is on hold because her game is steadily improving. As much energy and rally-sustaining brilliance as she brought to the Open, her serve and overall power were in question. “I think I’ve changed a lot since then,” she said. “I’ve changed my service motion and I think I’m more powerful in general. I’ve been working on that every day.”
Whenever a young player has a major breakthrough, the cameras always seek out the parents. Gordon Bellis is a fixture for his daughter on tour, and he watched quietly from the stands in Flushing Meadows. CiCi’s mom, Lori, was so nervous, she stayed back at the hotel to watch. Will that change at Stanford?
“I always say my dad’s more chill,” said CiCi with a laugh. “But she’s been watching me practice at Stanford. I think she’ll come out. I mean, it’s right here at home.”
With a world of possibilities.