CiCi Bellis is making headlines today as the youngest player to win a match at the U.S. Open since 1996. INSIDE EDITION has the details on teen.
Fifteen-year-old CiCi Bellis just made history at the U.S. Open and is the talented teen everyone's talking about.
She's the youngest player to win a match at the Open since 1996. She told reporters after the match, "I am still speechless right now. I mean, I have no words. I am just happy to be here."
The first round match was not supposed to be televised, but as word got out that she was about to make history, the crowds rushed over and ESPN went live with the game.
Now, the biggest name in tennis is taking note. Superstar Serena Williams first played in the U.S. Open in 1998, the year Bellis was born!
Williams told reporters, "It is a 15-year-old who won today, and I guess, I played here 15 years ago and she was able to win and that is so awesome for American tennis."
Ironically, Williams was playing against another teenage phenom, 18-year-old Taylor Townsend.
Townsend made headlines back in 2012 after tennis officials told her she needed to slim down, citing "concern (about) her long term health."
She said, “The head of women's tennis called me and told me he wanted me to train for eight weeks instead of play the U.S. Open.”
Townsend’s coach Zina Garrison says despite her size, she is as fit as any top player, saying, “When you look at her you think, ‘I can run this girl all over the court, she can’t move,’ but then, she's getting every ball.”
On Tuesday night, Townsend took on Williams and even though she lost, she held her own against the world's No. 1 tennis player.
