MELBOURNE — Distraught Chinese number one Li Na left the Australian Open in floods of tears on Sunday after a heart-breaking defeat to defending champion Kim Clijsters.
Li held four match points against Clijsters, who was struggling after rolling an ankle, but was unable to convert as the Belgian staged a staggering recovery and went on to take win it in three sets.
Afterwards Li, known for her jokes and charisma, gave a stony-faced press conference which was hastily brought to an end when she dissolved in tears and fled from the room.
It was a wretched end to the tournament for Li, who also went a set up against Clijsters in last year's final but lost in three sets. She insisted she had played well, but admitted being affected by nerves.
"Of course, I was nervous. If you're nervous you can't think too much, right?" she said.
Li was referring to the pivotal moment when Clijsters, facing her fourth match point in the second-set tiebreak, sent over a half-hearted drop shot which the Chinese player tamely knocked back, and was then lobbed.
"After losing the tiebreak I was worrying a little bit about myself because I had four match points, but I didn't take them," Li said.
The French Open champion had looked odds-on for the quarter-finals when Clijsters painfully went over on her left ankle in the first set and seemed on the verge of pulling out.
But after choking in the second-set tiebreak, the Chinese star went to pieces in the third set when she dished up 19 unforced errors.
"I think I played OK today. I mean, I wasn't worried about my technique. But maybe at 6-2 up in the tiebreak I was a little bit shocking," she admitted.
Li made it through the English portion of her press conference but started crying shortly after the start of questioning in Chinese.
Her defeat on the eve of Chinese new year leaves the hopes of the giant nation on the shoulders of Zheng Jie, who plays Italy's Sara Errani on Monday.
Four-time grand slam winner Clijsters said it may have been the greatest comeback of her glittering career, which will come to an end when she retires this year.
"I can't believe I won. I knew before the match it was going to be a tough match... but I didn't expect this," Clijsters said.
Li became the first Asian to reach a grand slam singles final in Melbourne last year, and she followed it up by claiming the continent's debut major singles title at the French Open in June.
Her success has been credited with boosting tennis in China, considered a key market for the sport, and with attracting Chinese fans and media to the Australian Open.
0 comments:
Post a Comment