Li shows he still has fire

Despite struggling in the shadow of younger compatriots for years, veteran Li Zhe on Sunday proved it's too soon to write him off as one of China's male tennis elites by winning his first Grand Slam wild card in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

Entering the final of the 2019 Australian Open Asia-Pacific playoff as the underdog, Li overcame a first-set scare to beat China's top men's player Zhang Ze 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 to win his first career entry into the main draw of a major.

At age 32, Li, who lost playoff finals in 2014 and 2017, will be the oldest Chinese player to make a Grand Slam singles debut when he competes in Melbourne next month.