Tennis Canada – 17-year old American defeats No. 4 Jesika Maleckova to break into Top 100 for first time in career

Toronto, November 6, 2016 – Top seed Catherine “CiCi” Bellis of the United States wrapped up an impressive campaign at the Tevlin Challenger, capturing her second consecutive $50,000 ITF Pro Circuit title on Canadian soil with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Jesika Maleckova of Czech Republic in Sunday’s final at the Aviva Centre in Toronto.

Bellis broke her opponent six times in the hour and thirty-six-minute contest, which saw Maleckova require two medical time outs, and rebounded from a tough second set to cap off the week.

“I felt great today,” Bellis said. “Jesika [Maleckova] is such a great player and I knew it was going to be a tough match because I had seen some of her matches earlier this week and she’s been playing so well. I was ready for a battle, and that’s what it was. I guess I got a little lucky, but I was playing well and came out on top.”

With the win in Toronto, Bellis captures her third title of the season, and second in Canada, having won the $50,000 Saguenay Challenger in October. The 17-year-old will also break into the Top 100 world rankings for the first time in her career.

“It means everything to me,” said Bellis on her success in Toronto. “This has been the best year of my life and the best couple tournaments of my life. I’ve never been happier.”

Bellis joins an impressive list of past champions at the Tevlin Challenger including former world No. 5 and Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard (2012), three-time WTA titlist Heather Watson (2010), 2013 Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki (2007), former world No. 21 Aleksandra Wozniak (2005), and last year’s winner Tatjana Maria of Germany.

The 12^th edition of the Tevlin Challenger ran at the Centre of Excellence, the indoor facility at Aviva Centre from October 31 – November 6. Please click here to view the final draws and results.

About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, 10 professional ITF-sanctioned events and financially supports 12 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates national junior training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada, please visit our website at www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
 
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