Chinese women players show glimpse of future
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-01-18 06:59

Zheng, 22, won the WTA singles and doubles title at Hobart, Australia in 2004. Li Ting joined Sun on the gold medal doubles podium at Athens, Zheng and Yan Zi won three doubles titles last season and Sun has six doubles titles overall.

Yan Zi celebrates after defeating 11th-seeded Nathalie Dechy of France. [Reuters]

In 2002, Li Na won both a singles and doubles title. Yan won the Guangzhou singles title last year.

Last year, Peng reached the highest-ever ranking by a Chinese woman - 31 - and beat Kim Clijsters and Elene Dementieva along the way.

"It hasn't been the best tournament for us, but we are still optimistic," Peng said after a practice session yesterday. "We had to play some pretty tough players."

The Chinese presence this year is in contrast to 2002, when Australian Open officials got a call from their transport people to say two Chinese players had shown up unannounced with their coach and wanted to play doubles.

"They hadn't entered, they just showed up on the doorstep," said Australian Open official John Lindsay. "We thought they were here, they've come all this way, we should give them a doubles wild card."

They did, allowing Li Ting and Sun to begin their preparations for that Olympic medal in Athens more than two years later.