CiCi Bellis may not be the best parallel parker (according to the *New York Times*), but she is driving full speed ahead as arguably one of the brightest young talents on the WTA Tour.

Most 17-year-olds are doing their best to earn junior rankings, likely in the hopes of snagging a college scholarship. But for Bellis, who is ranked No. 55 in the world, all she has to worry about is the 52 points she has to defend until the middle of June, leaving the door wide open for a march even further up the rankings.

“Last year at this time, I was planning on going to college,” Bellis told the *New York Times*. “My tennis wasn’t where I wanted to be, but I worked really hard, and it’s back now. And I’m really happy.”

And she should be. It wasn’t all that long ago that Bellis was planning to attend Stanford. There was nothing wrong with going to college first—world No. 94-ranked Nicole Gibbs is an example of a recent player who went to Stanford and moved on to a professional career.

But when Bellis advanced to the third round of last year’s US Open, she was convinced she had what it takes to make it on the professional circuit immediately.

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“I’ve been working really hard and all my hard work is beginning to pay off right now,” Bellis told *The Mercury News* after her run in Flushing Meadows. “But I think I can do whatever I want to in tennis. If I keep working hard, I think I can be one of the best players in the world.”

Recently, she has shown that she is on her way. She ended 2016 with three straight titles, including her first WTA crown in Hawaii.

After missing the Australian Open due to a hamstring injury she suffered during offseason training, Bellis got 2017 off to a fast start. After losing in Doha qualifying, the teenager beat three Top 50 players in Dubai, including world No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska.

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“There are a handful of players who are going to overpower her right now,” 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert told the Times. “But by the end of the year I wouldn’t be surprised if she was Top 20.”

If you are wondering whether Bellis is fitting in on tour, less than a year after making the decision to turn pro, just take a look at who Bellis has practiced with in preparation for the Indian Wells—Francesca Schiavone, a 37-year-old who won the 2010 French Open, turned pro before the American was born.

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But while virtually every player Bellis will come up against—including her first-round opponent in Indian Wells, 31-year-old Kirsten Flipkens—will be older and have more experienced, the teenager has shown that she is more than ready to compete.