Liguori: This Won't Be The Last Time We See CiCi Bellis On Big Stage

By Ann Liguori
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Crowds waited on Court 17 all day to grab a seat for the much-anticipated matchup between 15-year-old sensation CiCi Bellis and Zarina Diyas, the 20-year-old from Kazakhastan who is ranked 48th in the world.

Bellis grabbed instant notoriety this past Tuesday when the wild-card entry ousted 12th seed Dominika Cibulkova in three sets and became the youngest player to win a U.S. Open match since Anna Kournikova in 1996.

But Bellis' magical ride ended in the second round. Diyas was able to win in three sets, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2, despite the crowd cheering Bellis' every move.

Both players showed mental toughness and resilience, but Diyas grabbed the early break to go up 2-1 in the third set. She raised the level of her game in the third set, despite the lopsided second-set score. She served better and capitalized on Bellis' mistakes.

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Diyas should be commended for staying focused and calm despite the atmosphere and crowd favoring the young Californian.

Bellis likes to play quick. Perhaps she should slow down a bit. I'm sure nerves have a lot to do with her pace as well.

She also talks in short, quick sound bites.

Her all-court game is impressive and fun to watch. She can drill shots from both sides of the baseline and mix it up with well-placed drop shots and lobs. It's quite a mature mix of shots for such a young player. But I'm most impressed with her fighting spirit and focus. She thrives on pressure and competition.

Because the future of American tennis does not look as promising as we think it should, we tend to throw a heap of expectations on the teenagers who show promise at an early age.

Remember Melanie Oudin, the 17-year-old from Marietta, Georgia who made everyone "believe" when she reached the quarterfinals of the 2008 U.S. Open?

Bellis has that same spunk.

Here's to Bellis and her fighting spirit and passion for winning.

It's been a pleasure to watch such a young girl play her heart out, surprising herself with her first-round win and all the attention it garnered. What a thrill for tennis fans to watch her joyful ride in her first encounter on the big stage.

I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of Bellis in the future.

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