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Rampaging Li Na makes quarterfinals
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-08 08:34 China's Li Na has a habit of buying gifts for herself as rewards for good performances in Grand Slams - she bought an expensive handbag after reaching the third round at Wimbledon two months ago. At the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the season, Li is almost certain to overspend as the 27-year-old from Wuhan produced her best tennis of the year to reach the quarterfinals of the event for the first time with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Italy's Francesca Schiavone on Sunday.
It is Li's second quarterfinal appearance in a Grand Slam tournament, following her 2006 Wimbledon run. Sunday's victory sets up a last eight clash with Kim Clijsters, the 2005 champion here who is on the comeback trail after spending two years out of the game to marry and have a child. Clijsters defeated Venus Williams 6-0, 0-6, 6-4. "I have not got an exact plan (on buying a gift). But I walk along Fifth Avenue every day and look at Cartier whenever possible," Li said after match. China's No 1 and the tournament's 18th seed played a near perfect match, dominating an opponent who was struggling with a strained muscle in her upper thigh. "Everything went perfect today," Li said. "I think serve, return, baseline, volley, everything was fantastic. "This was my dream," said Li, whose previous best performance at the US Open was reaching the fourth round. "Four rounds already, it's a half-tournament. I hope I can win another three matches. I know it's tough." One more win and she will become just the second Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal after Zheng Jie's wildcard run into the 2008 Wimbledon semifinals. Li has one previous quarterfinal appearance at a Grand Slam tournament to her name, losing to Clijsters in the last eight at Wimbledon in 2006. Since then, she has struggled with injuries to her ribs and more recently right knee and missed much of last year to regain fitness.
Despite the knee injury flaring up anew from time to time this year, she has enjoyed runner-up finishes at Monterrey and Birmingham as well as reaching the fourth round of the French Open and third round at Wimbledon. Li faces Clijsters on Tuesday (tomorrow morning, Beijing time). "Just relax today and take tomorrow off totally and be ready for the day after tomorrow," she said about her plans. Clijsters holds a 3-1 career advantage over Li but lost their last meeting in 2007 on hardcourt in Miami. "I've had some really tough matches against her. She's a great player, has a really big forehand and likes to play aggressive tennis," the 26-year-old Belgian said about facing Li during an on-court interview after beating Venus. "It's going to be a physically tough match." China Daily/Agencies (China Daily 09/08/2009 page24) |
