CiCi Bellis exploded onto the national stage this week after becoming the youngest person to win a match at the US Open since Anna Kournikova in 1996.
Bellis, 15, beat Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova in the first round of the US Open Monday and has received all kinds of attention since. Though Bellis is the No.2-ranked junior in the world and earned her way into the main draw by winning the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championship, her youth cannot be understated.
To place things in proper perspective, here’s a photo of Bellis in 2011 with Maria Sharapova and Daniela Hantukova:
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
You think either of them had a clue that Bellis would be giving pros a serious test in grand slam events three years later? Nuts.
