Rising star: Atherton teen takes center stage at US Open today

Posted: 08/26/2014 11:00:00 PM PDT

Updated: 08/27/2014 10:16:21 PM PDT

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New York City is the center of the tennis universe with the U.S. Open in town for two weeks.

So far, Atherton's CiCi Bellis is outshining all the stars.

The 15-year-old Bellis was seemingly everywhere in the media world Wednesday, one day after she upset the world's 13th-ranked player in the first round. All eyes will be on her today when she plays in Round 2 against 20-year-old Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan.

Bellis, a home-schooled 10th-grader, doesn't seem bothered by the attention.

'I like it,' Bellis told the New York Post on Wednesday. 'I really like it. But I definitely have to focus and move on from (Tuesday's) match and not think too much about it anymore.'

Bellis' emergence comes amid concern for the future of the sport in America with fans longing for the country's next star. Long gone are the legendary Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Lindsay Davenport. Sisters Venus and Serena Williams, thought to be nearing the end of their careers, are all that remain of an American tennis system that once dominated the world. When the rankings are released after the U.S. Open, no American other than the Williams sisters is expected to be in the top 25.

Those who want to see Bellis as a potential savior will have to wait. She told reporters she isn't turning pro any time soon. She will reject her winnings from the Open, one of the world's richest tournaments, which amounted to $60,420 through one round.

'I think I'm definitely going to stay an amateur right now to keep my options open for college, in case an injury or something happens,' Bellis told the London Telegraph. 'But I'd love to be a pro one day.

'I don't really think about it (the prize money). I mean, I try to just focus on the tennis rather than anything else.'

Bellis' father Gordon told the New York Post that surrendering some $60,000 in winnings is one thing, but ...

'There are bigger things out there than money,' he said. 'If she were to win the finals, then we would be having a different discussion.''

The women's winner of the U.S. Open is expected to pocket around $2 million.

Bellis reached the Open as a wild card entrant, a right she earned by winning the national 18-and-under title nearly three weeks ago in San Diego. She is the youngest player in the Open draw by two years.

Showing poise and grit rarely seen among players her age, Bellis fought back from being down a service break in the third and final set to knock out Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on Tuesday.

As quickly as ESPN cold rush a camera over to that side court to televise the surprising ending, a star was born.

Bellis is the youngest player to win an Open match since Russia's Anna Kournikova won at age 15 in 1996. That was three years before Bellis was born.

An American as young as 15 had not won a match at the U.S. Open since current ESPN analyst Mary Joe Fernandez did so in 1986.

Bellis is older than American Jennifer Capriati was in 1990, when Capriati reached the semifinals of another Grand Slam event, the French Open, at just 14 years of age.

Bellis' run at the top of the tennis ranks could end today, but the teen sensation will show up with her confidence in tow.

'You have to believe in yourself,' she said after Tuesday's stunning upset. 'Believing was the No. 1 thing that I had to do today. Just go out there and believe that you can win. If you don't believe, there's one option. If you do believe, there's two options. You can either believe and lose or believe and win, but if you don't believe you're going to lose anyway.'

The tennis world, and a lot of casual observers of the sport, will tune in to watch Bellis today. The match's start time depends on how long earlier matches last. ESPN-TV is expected to have coverage sometime between noon and 2 p.m.

'I love it when people watch me,' Bellis told reporters. 'It gives me more energy and makes me play better.'

Win or lose, Bellis will make a big jump in the world rankings. USA Today reports that even with a loss today Bellis will move up approximately 800 spots to somewhere around 430th. She entered the tournament ranked 1,208. She is No. 2 among the world's juniors.

What comes after her Open run? Perhaps Bellis will be back at Stanford Shopping Center, particularly Urban Outfitters, which she told reporters is one of her favorite places to go.

As her celebrity rises, the coming weeks could find Bellis visiting the set of a talk show or two. One show seems to have the upper hand in that pursuit.

'I love Ellen,' Bellis told reporters. 'I think I would want to go on Ellen.'

Email Greg Frazier at gfrazier@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at http://ift.tt/1ulqSMs.

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