From Simon Cambers-the Guardian
Let the revolution begin. Li Na made history at the French Open on Saturday when she became the first Chinese player to win a grand slam singles title. Her 6-4, 7-6 victory over last year's champion, Francesca Schiavone of Italy, was a performance full of maturity, class and guts and when the pressure came late in the second set, she held firm. If this does not spark a new wave of Chinese players in the years to come then probably nothing will.
An estimated audience of 65 million watched the final on television and online in China but the 29-year-old, who pocketed a cool ¤1.2m (£1m) for her troubles, will have to wait until after Wimbledon before she has time to fly home. "If I don't do well at Wimbledon maybe people will forget me already," she said. "But if a Chinese player can win a grand slam maybe it proves a lot for Chinese tennis. I believe Chinese tennis will get bigger and bigger."
Having reached the final of the Australian Open in January, it looked as if Li's second opportunity for glory might be slipping away when, leading by a set and 4-2, she became tight. Perhaps it was the pressure of those watching at home, perhaps it was simply the occasion, but as she faltered, Schiavone moved to within two points of forcing it into a decider.
But as the crowd roared for the Italian, Li showed her mettle and held firm. Twice she held serve to stay in the set and she then played a flawless tie-break to win it 7-0. As a Schiavone backhand drifted over the baseline, a disbelieving Li fell to the clay and put her hands to her face.
"At 6-0 in the tie-break, I was thinking 'OK, don't do anything stupid'," she said. "Because many times I have had match point and not won the match. When I was a young player, I wanted to be a grand slam champion and now I am. Someone said the other day that I'm getting old, so the old woman's dream has come true."
Schiavone, whose victory last year was one of the most remarkable performances in Roland Garros history, embraced her opponent at the net and was equally kind-hearted afterwards. "Today was a really tough day but I have to congratulate Na Li because she's really grown up this year and she played really well. Enjoy this moment because it's fantastic."
There were no histrionics, no climbing through the stands to greet her family and friends. Instead, Li sat calmly on her chair and let it all sink in. Though three Chinese pairs have tasted grand slam doubles glory before, she is the first to do it in singles. For a country of 1.3 billion, if only the tiniest fraction of the population pick up a racket rather than play another sport, the future will be bright.
Going into the final, which was played in hot, humid conditions, Schiavone was the perceived favourite, the experience of her title run last year seemingly giving her the edge. But Li had beaten the former world No1 Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals and her confidence was high.
The match was all about the Li forehand. Schiavone's use of spin and command of the angles has made her the best pure clay-court player in the women's game but Li, despite standing 5ft 7¾in tall, had such power and accuracy in her groundstrokes that Schiavone was unable to dominate.
Li held serve comfortably throughout the first set and one break, in the fifth game, was enough to give her the first set. A second break, in the opening game of the second, strengthened her grip and it was all Schiavone could do to stay in touch. At 4-2, Li had a break point that would have allowed her to serve for the match, only to send the backhand return long. As Schiavone held, the tension began to show in Li and a loose game allowed the Italian to break back.
Suddenly the crowd was roaring and Li was visibly tense. But to her hugecredit, she held two tight service games to force a tie-break and then marched through it for a victory that will take her to No4 in the new rankings on Monday and surely make her a threat come Wimbledon.
For Schiavone, it was a disappointing end to another outstanding effort but the ever-expressive Italian said she would learn from the experience. "The impact to win is a big difference than to lose," she said. "But I'm happy to be here because now I can feel much more what I did last year. To arrive close to win is different than to win. Very different. It is a lot of emotions and sometimes you don't control them. I'm happy to be here. Doesn't matter if I win or lose, I want to live every moment."
Let the revolution begin. Li Na made history at the French Open on Saturday when she became the first Chinese player to win a grand slam singles title. Her 6-4, 7-6 victory over last year's champion, Francesca Schiavone of Italy, was a performance full of maturity, class and guts and when the pressure came late in the second set, she held firm. If this does not spark a new wave of Chinese players in the years to come then probably nothing will.
An estimated audience of 65 million watched the final on television and online in China but the 29-year-old, who pocketed a cool ¤1.2m (£1m) for her troubles, will have to wait until after Wimbledon before she has time to fly home. "If I don't do well at Wimbledon maybe people will forget me already," she said. "But if a Chinese player can win a grand slam maybe it proves a lot for Chinese tennis. I believe Chinese tennis will get bigger and bigger."
Having reached the final of the Australian Open in January, it looked as if Li's second opportunity for glory might be slipping away when, leading by a set and 4-2, she became tight. Perhaps it was the pressure of those watching at home, perhaps it was simply the occasion, but as she faltered, Schiavone moved to within two points of forcing it into a decider.
But as the crowd roared for the Italian, Li showed her mettle and held firm. Twice she held serve to stay in the set and she then played a flawless tie-break to win it 7-0. As a Schiavone backhand drifted over the baseline, a disbelieving Li fell to the clay and put her hands to her face.
"At 6-0 in the tie-break, I was thinking 'OK, don't do anything stupid'," she said. "Because many times I have had match point and not won the match. When I was a young player, I wanted to be a grand slam champion and now I am. Someone said the other day that I'm getting old, so the old woman's dream has come true."
Schiavone, whose victory last year was one of the most remarkable performances in Roland Garros history, embraced her opponent at the net and was equally kind-hearted afterwards. "Today was a really tough day but I have to congratulate Na Li because she's really grown up this year and she played really well. Enjoy this moment because it's fantastic."
There were no histrionics, no climbing through the stands to greet her family and friends. Instead, Li sat calmly on her chair and let it all sink in. Though three Chinese pairs have tasted grand slam doubles glory before, she is the first to do it in singles. For a country of 1.3 billion, if only the tiniest fraction of the population pick up a racket rather than play another sport, the future will be bright.
Going into the final, which was played in hot, humid conditions, Schiavone was the perceived favourite, the experience of her title run last year seemingly giving her the edge. But Li had beaten the former world No1 Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals and her confidence was high.
The match was all about the Li forehand. Schiavone's use of spin and command of the angles has made her the best pure clay-court player in the women's game but Li, despite standing 5ft 7¾in tall, had such power and accuracy in her groundstrokes that Schiavone was unable to dominate.
Li held serve comfortably throughout the first set and one break, in the fifth game, was enough to give her the first set. A second break, in the opening game of the second, strengthened her grip and it was all Schiavone could do to stay in touch. At 4-2, Li had a break point that would have allowed her to serve for the match, only to send the backhand return long. As Schiavone held, the tension began to show in Li and a loose game allowed the Italian to break back.
Suddenly the crowd was roaring and Li was visibly tense. But to her hugecredit, she held two tight service games to force a tie-break and then marched through it for a victory that will take her to No4 in the new rankings on Monday and surely make her a threat come Wimbledon.
For Schiavone, it was a disappointing end to another outstanding effort but the ever-expressive Italian said she would learn from the experience. "The impact to win is a big difference than to lose," she said. "But I'm happy to be here because now I can feel much more what I did last year. To arrive close to win is different than to win. Very different. It is a lot of emotions and sometimes you don't control them. I'm happy to be here. Doesn't matter if I win or lose, I want to live every moment."
