Li Na becomes first Chinese to earn a place in WTA Championships – Tennis News
China holds the record for the world’s largest population accommodating around 1.2 billion people but sadly China has been unable to produce world class talent in the fields of tennis and cricket. However, recently Li Na has shocked
the world by qualifying for the WTA Championship. She will feature in esteemed TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul from 25th to 30thOctober.
She became the first Chinese ever to make it to the WTA Championship. 2011 has proved to be a very impressive year for Li and she was very proud on her achievements and wanted to perform even better in the tournament to make his
country proud.
Li had a dream run this year. She managed to make it to the Grand Slam finals twice and eventually won the French Open to become the only Asian Grand Slam title holder. She started playing badminton at the age of seven before she
was introduced to Tennis when she was just nine years old. Since then she has been working day and night to improve her game and finally her efforts paid-off.
Xinhua, China Central Television reporter, stated that Li’s ecstatic run this year has engrossed almost 100 million audiences to watch tennis on televisions. She has become a national hero and tennis fever is visible everywhere
in China and country is supporting their superstar to win the Istanbul Championship and bring home glory. Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA said "I congratulate Li Na on qualifying for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, marking a perfect end
to her truly historic season”.
Li’s fans were really disappointed at her recent performances. She had a miserable run since June with a second round exit from Wimbledon and a disappointing first-round exit from the US Open. The misery didn’t end here as she
was defeated in the first-round of China Open in Beijing. Local crowd was really agitated with these results and their expectations were shattered all over the place. But this news has boosted the morale of local citizens once again; they are looking forward
to their national hero to bring back glory days.
There is still room for three more players to make their way into the singles of WTA Tournament. Five contenders, Vera Zvonareva, Samantha Stosur, Marion Bartoli, Andrea Petkovic and Agnieszka Radwanska, would fight for the spot
in WTA Tournament in Istanbul. Top eight singles and top 4 doubles would lock horns to fight in the season end finale in Istanbul for $5 million prize money.
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