American CiCi Bellis has won 14 consecutive matches and the 17-year-old, who turned pro after this year’s U.S. Open, climbs to a career-high ranking of 75 in the world after winning the $125K Honolulu event on Sunday by defeating China’s Zhang Shuai in the final.
Bellis, an Atherton, California resident, was considering playing collegiate tennis at Stanford before she made her decision in September. Since then she has gone 16-1 as a pro and earned over $40K in prize money.
She did not drop a set in Honolulu en route to the title, and is the youngest player in the WTA’s Top 100.