GOLD COAST, Australia - China's Li Na completed a successful comeback from injury Saturday, beating Victoria Azarenka here in the final of the Australian Women's Hardcourt tennis championships.
Li Na of China holds the winner's trophy after her final game against Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Women's Hardcourt Championships on the Gold Coast, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. Li went on to win the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. [Agencies] |
Li, China's highest-ranked player, lost the first set to the 18-year-old Belarusian before gradually asserting control and eventually winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
It was Li's second WTA title since she joined the main tour in 2000, adding to the tournament she won in Guangzhou in southern China in 2004.
Li had a good start to 2007, making the quarterfinals or better five times in 13 events in the first half of the year. But a stress fracture of her right rib forced her off the tour for the rest of 2007.
She said she never doubted she would return to the court despite the lengthy layoff, saying she knew she would recover because she was a "strong woman".
And the 25-year-old joked that she was destined to win the first tournament of her comeback.
"Maybe the gods said 'right this girl has rested for four months, maybe she didn't get any prize money', so this tournament has given me that prize money."
Li beat three seeded players on her way to the final, including world No 12 Nicole Vaidisova and two-time champion Patty Schnyder, she seems to be making a timely return to form ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
Azarenka and Li are one place apart in the world rankings, at 30 and 29, respectively, a closeness that was reflected on the scoreboard as both players strived to gain any advantage.
The Belarusian stormed through the first set, breaking Li in the opening game and pinning her back with an array of powerful groundstrokes.
Li broke back in the sixth to get the set back on serve, but surrendered it immediately to give the initiative back to Azarenka.
Azarenka, who left the court at 4-3 to have her right thigh strapped, showed no signs of wavering as she held her next two service games to take the opening set. The Belarusian refused to blame the leg injury for her loss.
"It started hurting me in the first set and the trainer taped me - it got better but I still had a few problems moving to the forehand," she said.
"I was still able to play - so it's not an excuse as to why I lost."
Li stormed back in the second set as her deft placement began to take its toll on Azarenka. And although Li was broken twice, she broke Azarenka three times to send the match into a decider.
When Li broke Azarenka in the third game of the third set it appeared the match was heading for a quick finish. But the Belarusian refused to give in and broke back three games later to get back on serve.
However, Li steadied and took advantage of a loose service game from Azarenka at 4-4 to break again and serve for the match at 5-4. She raced to 40-15 and clinched the title when Azarenka hit a forehand over the baseline.
Li, however, was puzzled by the crowd's applause, after failing to hear the umpire overrule an earlier point in her favor.
"I thought it was 40-30 to me so I told myself 'OK come on, match point' and I wanted the ball from the ball boy, but he didn't give me the ball."
"I was like 'what happened?' And then I heard 'Game Set and Match' and I was like 'Did I win?"
Li has withdrawn from the Sydney International tennis tournament, which took place yesterday.
