China

Chinese positive about Australian Open efforts

By Zhao Rui (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-01-26 08:45

The Chinese contingent failed to repeat last year's miracles at the Australian Open in Melbourne, but the mood in the camp remains upbeat.

China's interest in the Open ended yesterday when defending doubles champions and second seeds Zheng Jie and Yan Zi lost their semifinal to Chinese Taipei's Chan Yung-Jan and Chuang Chia-Jung 6-3, 6-4.

Six Chinese women entered the singles draw but only Li Na was able to move further than the second round, solidifying her position as the country's top player.

Coached by her husband Jiang Shan, Li knocked out Russian ninth seed Dinara Safina before being out-fought and out-thought by three-times champion Martina Hingis 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the fourth round.

Li's performance created a buzz in Melbourne, and she rises to 16 in the rankings. Her combative also approach impressed Hingis.

"I think she had a great season last year where she made her breakthrough," she said. "Also mentally I think she started believing after that a little bit more.

"A lot of times it's confidence that you know you belong in the top group, in the elite, and you can make it in the crucial times.

"I think that's another step which she made."

Doubles again looked like the likeliest route to victory, with new pair Sun Shengnan and Sun Tiantian emerging as a dangerous combination.

After agonising over whether to split Sun Tiantian and Li Ting, who claimed gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004, the Suns' sparkling play vindicated the decision as they reached the quarterfinals. The pair looks set to be the country's second doubles gold potential at the Beijing Games in 2008, though this is yet to be confirmed.

The Suns stunned US Open titlists Nathalie Dechy of France and Russian Vera Zvonareva before losing to the defending champions in an all-China quarterfinal clash.

The country's tennis officials praised the pair.

"They were so much better than we expected," said CTA vice-president Gao Shenyang. "We will decide whether to let them compete in the Olympics in the coming two months."

In the singles, the performances of Zheng Jie, Peng Shuai, Meng Tuan and Sun Tiantian disappointed, with none of them reaching the second round, while in the doubles Li Na and Peng, Li Ting and Ji Chunmei were knocked out in round one.

(China Daily 01/26/2007 page24