Atherton teen loses, but wins admirers
PARIS — In the wake of her impressive showing at the French Open, Atherton teenager CiCi Bellis is drawing praise from elite players who see her as a rising star.
“I have a lot of respect for her game. I think we are going to see a lot more of her,” said former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki after beating Bellis, 18, on Saturday in the third round of the French Open.
“She’s one of those youngsters I see working very hard and fighting for every point. She just keeps her head down. I like that about her.”
Wozniacki, the No. 11 seed, advanced to the final eight after beating Bellis 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. The match had carried over from Friday night, when Bellis was leading 5-2 in the second set before darkness suspended play.
On Saturday, Bellis easily closed out the second set and was up a break in the third before Wozniacki came back with a break of her own.
Bellis won over many fans at Roland Garros during the past week, with shouts of “Allez, Cathy!” coming from the stands (she was listed on the stadium scoreboards as “Catherine Bellis”).
Bellis beat unranked Dutch player Quirine Lemoine in three sets in the first round, then scored an upset over 18th-seeded Kiki Bertens, a semifinalist at the French Open last year, in straight sets in the second round.
“I love playing on big courts, and playing in front of people, and at tournaments like these,” Bellis said after beating Bertens. “I mean, it’s moments that I live for, and I think it really brings out my best tennis.”
At one time headed to Stanford, Bellis instead turned pro in September. Although she skipped the Australian Open in January, she is already up to No. 48 in the world. The French Open was her third appearance in a major. She reached the second round of the U.S. Open in 2015 and the third round last year.
“She’s only 18 and top 50,” said Bertens after her loss to Bellis. “She’s playing really great tennis, really aggressive.”