TEENAGE SENSATION CICI BELLIS AWARDED WILD CARD
INTO DOW CORNING TENNIS CLASSIC IN MIDLAND
Greater Midland Tennis Center to Host $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit Event, February 1-7
MIDLAND, Michigan, January 28, 2016 – The USTA today announced that CiCi Bellis, 16, of Atherton, Calif., has been awarded a wild card entry into the 2016 Dow Corning Tennis Classic. The
$100,000 USTA Pro Circuit women’s event will take place February 1-7 at the Greater Midland Tennis
Center in Midland.
Bellis is currently ranked No. 231 in the world. Bellis made international headlines at the 2014
US Open with her first-round upset of No. 12 seed and reigning Australian Open finalist Dominika
Cibulkova. With the victory, Bellis, then 15, became the youngest female player to win a main draw
match at the US Open since Anna Kournikova in 1996.
Following the 2014 US Open, Bellis won the first USTA Pro Circuit singles titles of her career at
$25,000 events in Rock Hill, S.C., and Florence, S.C. She added a third singles title in 2015 at the
$25,000 event in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. and reached the quarterfinals of the Carlsbad Classic this
past November.
In the junior ranks, Bellis was runner-up in the Girls’ Doubles competition at the 2014 French Open
after pairing up with Markéta Vondroušová. This ultimately helped her end 2014 as the No. 1 junior
in the world.
“We are thrilled to have CiCi Bellis coming to Midland and the Dow Corning Tennis Classic. She
has had an amazing junior career and some great result testing the waters on the pro tour. I know
our fans will be excited to come out and support such a great young player”, said Scott Mitchell,
co-tournament director of the Dow Corning Tennis Classic.
The USTA also awarded main draw wild cards to Grace Min of Atlanta, Georgia, Taylor Townsend of
Chicago, Illinois and Jennifer Brady of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Qualifying singles wild cards were awarded to Caty McNally, Allie Sanford, Michaela Gordon, Ingrid
Neel, Nicole Coopersmith, and Midland’s very own Caroline Szabo. Alyvia Jones of Midland was
also awarded a main draw doubles wild card. Her partner is still to be determined.
“I know our fans will be excited to come out and support such great young players”, said Mitchell.
The Dow Corning Tennis Classic, a $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit event, will be held at the Greater
Midland Tennis Center, January 31 - February 7. Professional athletes from around the world will be
competing for $100,000 in prize money, as well as valuable WTA Tour Ranking points.
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ABOUT THE USTA PRO CIRCUIT:
With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to
$100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and
a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit 37 years ago to provide players
with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental
tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from
more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. John Isner, Maria Sharapova, Sam Querrey, Sloane Stephens,
Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka and Andy Murray are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA
Pro Circuit.
For more information, contact:
Jacob Stuckey, Tournament Press Aide
Cell: (904) 687-6495
E-mail: jacobmatthewstuckey@gmail.com
@USTAProCircuit
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Live Streaming at www.procircuit.usta.com
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