CiCi Bellis racked up another big win on Wednesday, upsetting No. 8 seed and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-4, 7-5 to reach the round of 16 in the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
"I think I played really well today," Bellis, an 18-year-old product of Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area, said on wtatennis.com. "Obviously I told myself I had to because she's unbelievable, so I'm really happy with it."
Bellis recorded her second victory over a top-10 player. She knocked off then-No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska in the third round at Dubai in February.
The 36th-ranked Bellis will face Caroline Garcia, a 23-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 21st, for the first time today at 8 a.m. PDT. The winner likely will play second-ranked Simona Halep.
A victory over Garcia could ensure a U.S. Open seeding for Bellis, the youngest player in the top 40 and one of four teenagers in the top 100. She reached the third round at Flushing Meadows last year as a qualifier, then turned pro.
This year's U.S. Open is scheduled for Aug. 28-Sept. 10.
Veteran journalist Paul Bauman, based in Sacramento, covers Northern California professional, collegiate and junior tennis. Contact him at norcaltennisczar@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @norcaltenczar.
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