"Growing up, he was my big sporting idol," Federer said. "Having him here is unbelievably special." Aside from the Williams sisters, American tennis fans have not had much reason to cheer for their own in the latter stages of major tournaments in recent years. That's why the occasional run by a young U.S. player -- think Melanie Oudin, wearing "Believe" on her sneakers in 2009 -- stirs interest at Flushing Meadows.
"Believing was the No. 1 thing that I had to do today," said Bellis, whose nickname CiCi is derived from the initials of her first and middle names, Catherine Cartan.
Bellis plans on playing in the U.S. Open junior tournament. She lost in the third round of that event last year; she lost in the first round of the Wimbledon juniors last month.
