American Teen, Catherine “CiCi” Bellis, sees run at U.S. Open come to an end

Two days after shocking the tennis world and becoming the youngest American since 1996 to win a match at the U.S. Open, CiCi Bellis was eliminated from the tournament.  Bellis fought back after losing the first set, but ultimately came up short in her second round match Thursday night at the US Open.  The momentum she gained on Tuesday wasn’t enough as she lost to 48th-ranked Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 6-3, 0-6, 6-2. “Maybe it didn’t turn out how I wanted it to, but thank you, everybody, for coming out and watching,” Bellis told the overflowing and wildly supportive crowd in an on-court interview. “It was amazing. I mean, I never thought I’d be here.” Americans began to jump on the Bellis bandwagon on Tuesday when she stunned 12th ranked Dominika Cibulkova, who was the Australian Open runner-up, by a score of 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.  Bellis secured her place in the tournament by defeating Tornado Alicia Black in the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championship and earning a U.S. Open wild card. In doing so, she became the youngest winner of that 18-and-under event since Lindsay Davenport in 1991. That win helped Bellis move to No. 2 in the world junior rankings.