Bellis wins first title in four years at W80 Macon
CiCi Bellis went some way to putting her injury troubles behind her after claiming her first professional title in four years with victory over Marta Kostyuk in the final at W80 Macon.
The 21-year-old American, who climbed as high as No. 35 in the world in 2017 but suffered a series of injury setbacks over the following two seasons, secured her first silverware since November 2016 at the ITF World Tennis Tour event after Kostyuk retired with cramps at the start of the deciding set with the scores locked at 6-4 6-7(4).
“There wasn’t much between us out there,” Bellis admitted. “I tried to be super aggressive and that paid off. Everyone is so good at this level and it’s a few points that make the difference.”
Bellis, a former junior world No. 1, enjoyed a meteoric rise in the game after turning professional in 2016 but struggled with injury, culminating in three surgeries on her right arm and elbow in the latter half of 2018, before going under the knife again in March 2019.
The world No. 173, who has contested each of the three Grand Slams this year (highlighted by a third-round run at January’s Australian Open), has been taking her comeback one step at a time, with W80 Macon just her ninth tournament appearance since April 2018.
But Bellis, and runner-up Kostyuk, were undoubtedly the form players throughout the week in Macon, with neither dropping a set until the final.
Bellis delivered a first-set bagel while taking out former Roland Garros finalist Sara Errani in the quarter-finals, while Kostyuk produced an equally emphatic win in the last eight as she dropped just three games in a ruthless win over top seed - and world No. 86 - Misaki Doi.
For Bellis, the victory was just reward for an intense spell on the practice courts following her first-round defeat at Roland Garros in September – and a healthy balance of training on and off the court while professional tennis was suspended during the summer.
"I trained super hard before these two tournaments, so I was coming in prepared,” she said.
“It was tough [during the summer]. I think everyone found it as a challenge. I think I found a good combination of training and working out, and it's good to be back.”
The triumph was Bellis’ eighth professional title overall – seven of which have come at ITF level – and her first since winning the WTA 125k series title in Honolulu in November 2016.
Magdalenda Frech and Katarzyna Kawa won the doubles crown in Macon, defeating American pair Francesca Di Lorenzo and Jamie Loeb 7-5 6-1. It was Frech’s third career doubles title and Kawa’s 14th – but their first together as a pair.
The tournament precedes another W80 tournament on American soil on the ITF World Tennis Tour – with W80 Tyler seeing a similarly strong field, led by world No. 55 Shelby Rogers, on 26 October – 1 November.