Li Na Enters Final at Australian Open

Apart from becoming the first Chinese tennis player to make it to a Grand Slam final, the 11th seed Li Nais is also Asia's first, Women's Tennis Association (WTA) confirmed on Thursday.

Li kicked out World No. 1 Danish Catholine Wozniacki 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in Thursday's Australian Open women's singles semifinal.

The game has been extremely tight and breathtaking, with the pair looks to have demonstrated their best performance, not allowing each other to win each single game.

Earlier in first set, as well as the beginning of second set, Li served a lot of unforced errors, allowing Wozniacki, who has won twelve WTA singles titles, three in 2008, three in 2009 and six in 2010, to take control and misleads audiences that Li might lose the game.

However, Li slowly got used to her opponent' s pace and system, then managed to save a match point, win back the second set, and eventually score her only match point to end the game in two hours and 34 minutes.

"I had a match point and I didn't take it," Wozniacki lamented. "Sometimes in matches or in tennis it's one ball that can change everything.

"If you don't take your chance you lost the match... I didn't get my match point. From then on, well, she was just better at the most important points.

"She won the most important one, which was the last one."

Li was the first Chinese player to win a WTA Tour event, the first to break the top ten and then the first, along with Zheng Jie, to reach the last four of a Grand Slam.

"I'm so happy I can be the first Chinese player to come to a final - I always do the first one!" Li told reporters in Melbourne after the game.

"(Being the first Chinese player to enter Grand Slam final) Good for my tennis career, of course. Good for me; good for my team. Maybe good for China tennis,"

"Of course this is good experience for my whole life, because many player, they play long time, but they never come to the final for a Grand Slam. Today I get it, so feeling I can do well in next two days."

The 28-year-old Li has become a crowd favorite in Australian Open well known to her highly talented skills, as well as a sharp sense of humor.

Li admitted that the semi final is a bit nervous for her because of a sleepless night caused by her husband-coach Jiang Shan's snoring.

When asked by journalist what gives her the power and determination to win the tight match, Li joked that it was the prize money.

So far, Li had a career prize money of $3,429,919 going into the tournament, and will pocket another $2.18 million if she wins the title on Saturday.

Also, having reach the finals, Li is projected to return to World' s top 10 next week at No.7. She will become No.5 if she win the title, while a Grand Slam champion would also inspire a rush of new tennis players in China.

Li will on Saturday face three-time U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters, who on Thursday comfortably defeated second seed Russian Vera Zvonareva with an awesome display of power tennis by 6-3, 6-3 in just 73 minutes.

Li claimed champion in Sydney International earlier this month by defeating Clijsters 7-6 (3), 6-3.

(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2011)