By Scoop Malinowski | Thursday, June 1, 2017
"My mom (Lori Bellis) is definitely my number one inspiration," says CiCi Bellis.
Photo credit: Matt Hazlett/BNP Paribas Open
Armed with six career main-draw clay-court wins, CiCi Bellis arrived in Paris eager to learn some subtleties of tennis on terre battue.
The 18-year-old Bellis is proving to be a fast problem solver.
More: Serena Aiming For Early Comeback
Changing direction on her drives shrewdly, Bellis surprised 2017 Roland Garros semifinalist Kiki Bertens, 6-3, 7-6 (5) to reach the French Open third round in her tournament debut.
That win came weeks after Bertens beat Bellis, 6-4, 6-0, in Rome.
Bellis, who toppled world No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska en route to the Dubai quarterfinals in February, faces another former Grand Slam finalist opponent tomorrow.
The world No. 48 will face 11th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki for a spot in the French Open fourth round. The match is a rematch of the Dubai quarterfinals, which Wozniacki won, 6-3, 6-2.
Author Scoop Malinowski caught up with Bellis for this Biofile interview.
Born on: April 8, 1999 in San Francisco, CA
Height/Weight: 5-foot-7, 120 pounds.
First Memory Of Tennis: “When I was younger I played a lot at my country club. And that was definitely the first memory. I was playing on a Sunday with a bunch of my friends, we were just having fun, it was really cool. (Where?) At Burlingame Country Club.”
Tennis Inspirations: “My mom (Lori Bellis) is definitely my number one inspiration.”
Last Book Read: “Was Maze Runner.”
First Famous Tennis Player You Met Or Encountered: “I did a coin toss at Bank of the West when I was younger for Hantuchova and Sharapova. And I was twelve. That was fun.”
Greatest Career Moment: “Probably US Open (2014 beating) Cibulkova (first round). Yeah. And winning Hawaii Open (first WTA title in 2016).”
Most Painful Moment: “At junior Wimbledon and US Open I had a wrist injury and it hurt so bad. And I had to default. It was terrible. That definitely was the most painful.”
Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: “Soccer.”
Three Athletes You Like To Watch & Follow: “Michael Phelps of course. I like San Francisco Giants. And the 49ers.”
Funny Tennis Memory: “I was playing this really funny exhibition in Stanford. Like a really long time ago. And the lady that was playing, she said she was really into yoga. And she would dive for every single ball that she went to. And she would literally fall in the court. It was ridiculous. Everyone was laughing like the whole time. It was kind of scary too [laughs].”
Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “I don’t really have any.”
Strangest Match: “I have one. In 2015 I was playing a girl and I was down 6-1 5-1. And then I came back and won the second set 7-6. And I was down 0-2 in the third and then I came back to 2-all. And I hit a winner, it bounced off the fence. And she hit it as hard as she could and it went to the other court and hit the umpire in the face. And she was defaulted.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Vanilla.”
Why Do You Love Playing Tennis: “Just competing. I love the competitive atmosphere.”
Favorite Tournaments: “Miami I love so far. US Open. A bunch of junior tournaments that I played that I love like the Easter Bowl. A couple of tournaments that I played in Europe like Milan, those are really nice places.”
Funniest Players Encountered: “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I have a couple of friends that make me laugh a lot.”
Fiercest Competitors Encountered: “There were a couple of junior players that are really super fierce like there’s Sofia Kenin. She always wants to fight. Also Serena and Cibulkova are really fierce.”
Pre-Match Feeling: “Just kind of visualizing. I try to listen to music before so I can get pumped up. (What kind?) Dance or anything upbeat.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “Just have a good personality and funny. That’s what I like.”
Courtesy of Scoop Malinowski, tennis-prose.com. Scoop is the author of "Facing Federer" , "Facing Hewitt" and "Facing Nadal", all available on Amazon.