The moment American teenag🔯er Catherine “CiCi” Bellis broke Dominika Cibulkova to win at the U.S. Open — the moment she had played herself into history — Bellis dropped to the court with her head in her hands.
Then she sprinted across the court to hug her father, her hitt🔯ing 🦂partner and her cheering section.
By t📖he end, Bellis had turned all of American tennis into her cheering section. The 15-year-old showed moxie and a mature game that belied her years to beat Cibulkova, the 12th-seeded Australian Open finalist, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. The feisty Californian fed off the crowd and turned in the biggest win by a teen in Flushing in a generation.
“I went into the match thinking it was going to be such a great experience, but I never thought I would come out on top winning,’’ Bellis said. “I’m feeling amazing. I’m still speechless. I’m still in shock about that match. I went in thinking I was going to play as well as I could possibly play. I obviously played pretty well. So I’m really happy. Words can’t describe it rꦅight now.’’
The image of hඣer pure ebullient celebration told the tale well enough.
“It was pretty overwhelming,’’ said Be🐬llis’ father Gordon, who works for a private equity fund in San Francisco. Bellis’ mother Lori was a former collegiate player.
“My wife plays, I carry bags and pick up b🏅alls,” Gordon said. “My daughter just wanted to ⛎be like my wife and play like her.’’
The family ju🦋st hoped Bellis, who is ranked 1,208th in the world, wouldn’t get double-bageled, with Lori too nervous to watch in person, staying in their hotel room. She missed a great scene, Bellis circling the court almost in a daze, looking f🍌or somebody to hug.
And why not? S💮he was three years away from being born the last time somebody this young won a match at the U.S. Open. It was 1996 when a 15-year-old Anna Kournikova won at the U.S. Op🐟en, and all the way back to 1986 since Mary Joe Fernandez was the last American this young to earn a victory here.
Not only was Bellis undaunted by the overflow crowd that streamed into Court 6♋ to watch her, but spurred on by it.
“I love it when people watch me. It gives me more energy and makes me play better,’’ said Bellis. “I had four friends that started some of the chants. … I loved it. It made me play even better.’’
After winning a long game to open th🦩e third set, Bellis dropped three straight to fall behind a break and trail 3-1. That’s when she settled herself, threw caution to the wind and painted several big shots down the line to run𒀰 off three in a row herself. She eventually broke Cibulkova’s serve to seal it.
“When I was down 3-1, it was kind of a bummer, because I won the first set, lost the second. We had a long game the fi🔴rst game of the third set. I ended up winning that and then lost three games in a row,’’ Bellis said. “I just told myself, ‘Calm down, don’t think about who you’re playing, who’s on the other side of the court. Just be free. You have nothing to lose.’
“Definitely when I was down 3-1 I just kind of relaxed. It obviously doesn’t matter if I lose tod✨ay. She’s obviously No. 12🔯 in the world, so it doesn’t matter. I just started playing a lot freer and better.’’
Still an amateur, Bellis is ineligib♛le to collect the prize money for her w♛in, at least $60,420.
“There are bigger things out there thꦓan money,’’ said Gordon, who admitted, “If she were to win the finals, then we would be having a ಌdifferent discussion.’’