Peng Shuai (left) with a junior player during the Li Ning and Peng Shuai youth clinic at the Beijing Chaoyang Tennis Center on Saturday. [Photo by Zhang Tao / China Daily]

Nowhere near as famous as Li Na, world No 17 Peng Shuai had a far more consistent year, Sun Xiaochen reports

Li Na's historic French Open victory was obviously the crowning moment for Chinese tennis this year, but her compatriot Peng Shuai, who is slowly emerging from Li's shadow, was the country's most consistent performer.

Peng reached the last 16 at each Grand Slam event except the French Open while storming into four WTA tournament semis and one final. The world No 17 finished the season with a dazzling 53-21 record, the sixth best of the calendar year.

Peng's 2011 campaign went way beyond expectations - she ended last year at No 78 after missing several events due to injuries.

Her momentum seemed to grow as the WTA season went on, while Li, who became the first Asian to win a Grand Slam with her French heroics, struggled mightily to reclaim her form for the rest of the year.

China now has two legitimate stars on the tour and Peng is thrilled with where she is after fulfilling a six-year goal of cracking the top 20.

"I was already near (the top 20) when I finished at No 37 in 2005. But I never thought I would spend so many years (to reach it). Actually, I am calmer than I thought after really making it," Peng told China Daily at the sidelines of the 2011 Li Ning youth tennis training camp last weekend.

The 25-year-old has been at the helm of the nation's budding generation of players since debuting at the 2001 Wimbledon junior competition, but she struggled with the pressure of facing high-level competition in close matches.

Peng broke down in tears when trailing 1-3 in the second set of the final against Zheng Jie at the National Games in 2005 and refused to attend the press conference after losing the match.

However, it was an utterly different story this year when she outperformed tough rivals including two-time major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova and current world No 3 Vera Zvonareva, who had beaten Peng seven times in a row, deep in tournaments.

"It's like jumping over a big hurdle (after defeating them). It's a huge confidence boost, which keeps you steadfast on what you are aiming for," Peng said.

The 25-year-old attributes her new-found confidence to her inner strength.

"As time goes by, I am still who I am, just more mature. I've learned to let go what I can't control and care less about results. That makes me fresh and focused," said Peng, who lives in Tianjin. "At the end of the day, I am happy that I love tennis as much as I did at the beginning. And I know I've strived hard and that's enough."

Peng attributes much of the credit for the building of her mental strength to her foreign coaching crew, which features Chinese-American mentor Alan Ma, better known as Ma Weikai in China.

"I encountered a lot of setbacks last year. But I was lucky to renew a stable partnership with Alan. He's always had confidence in me, even more than me in myself. His encouragement inspires me and his crew takes care of me pretty well on and off the court. Under his guidance, I feel determined and energetic," Peng said.

Ma came to guide Peng on a regular basis last year after temporarily instructing her several times since meeting the teenager at a US clinic in 2002.

Peng's title at the Guangzhou Asian Games in November, their first major event after reuniting, kicked off a perfect start, and her feats throughout this year have been proof of the great chemistry between them.

Despite her red-hot form, Peng hasn't claimed any WTA titles, the only player in the top 20 not to have done so.

However, the quiet woman is concentrating more on performing well in majors than winning that elusive WTA title.

"I never thought about that (title drought). Everybody hopes to win approaching events, so do I. But I prefer to advance at Grand Slams than top less challenging events," said Peng.

"I don't want to make any predictions, because that always triggers debates and puts extra pressure on your shoulders. I've learned to identify it, keep it in mind and chase it quietly," Peng said of her goals for next season. "Making the top 10 is the realistic goal and hopefully I can advance further at the majors."

Chinese fans will certainly expect more next year as she will pair with veteran Zheng to pursue a doubles medal at the London Olympics.

"Honestly, it's a very big pressure. I don't want to hide it. Pro tennis players all mainly focus on singles, but the Olympics is so unique. We will try to adjust our schedule to practice and compete together as much as possible," said Peng, who used to team with Chinese Taipei ace Hsieh Su-wei on the tour.

Fact file >> Peng Shuai 

Residence: Tianjin, China

Date of birth: Jan 8, 1986

Place of birth: Xiangtan, Hunan, China

Height: 1.73m

Weight: 61kg

Plays: Right-handed (two-handed both sides)

Career prize money: $2,867,814

Highest ranking: No 14 (August 22, 2011)

Current ranking: No 17

2011 highlights:

Grand Slam

Fourth-round appearances at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open

Third-round appearance at the French Open

WTA Tour

Finals berth at Brussels Ladies Open in Belgium

Semifinal berths at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, the Moorilla Hobart International in Hobart, Australia, the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, US and AEGON Classic in Birmingham, GB