After a breakout run to the second round at the 2014 US Open, junior star and Bay Area native CiCi Bellis has received a wild card into next week's Bank of the West Classic in Stanford. Bellis, who fell in the opening round here in Stanford last year, has only played two WTA tour-level matches this season, suffering early round losses in both San Antonio and Miami so far this year. 

Bellis' breakout 2014 US Open run

Coming in off the back of a junior national title earlier in 2014, Bellis received a wild card into the main draw of the US Open, making the most of it to knock off tenth seed Dominika Cibulkova in a match that signalled the birth of a star. After her monumental win that sent her into the spotlight of national media, Bellis played a solid match but fell to Kazakh Zarina Diyas in the second round. 

CiCi Bellis reacts after her first round win at the 2014 US Open in New York City/Getty Images
CiCi Bellis reacts after her first round win at the 2014 US Open in New York City/Getty Images

Since then, Bellis had another fairly deep run at a big WTA event, reaching the third round at the Miami Open, falling to world number one and 22-time major winner Serena Williams. Last year, the 17-year-old was also granted a wildcard into the tournament here in Stanford, falling in the opening round to Misaki Doi before falling in the final round of qualifying at the site of her breakthrough, the US Open. The American closed out her 2015 season with a quarterfinal run at the WTA 125K series event in Carlsbad losing to eventual champion Yanina Wickmayer. 

Bellis' results so far in 2016

So far this season, Bellis has only played two WTA tour-level events, claiming her only tour-level win of the season over Japan's Nao Hibino in the first round in San Antonio before losing to German Anna-Lena Friedsam. The American teen and Bay Area native then went to the Premier Mandatory event in Miami, bowing out to Puerto Rican star Monica Puig in three sets. 

CiCi Bellis hits a forehand at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford/Getty Images
CiCi Bellis hits a forehand at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford/Getty Images

Bellis claimed her first title of the season at the ITF event in Sumter, South Carolina without the loss of a set, defeating Russian Valeriya Solovyeva in the final for her first career title. This will be Bellis' second appearance in Stanford after her first round exit here last year.