China's biggest tennis star Zheng Qinwen will enter Rod Laver Arena on Saturday attempting to emulate her idol Li Na and become a Grand Slam winner, but the formidable presence of Australian Open defending champion Aryna Sabalenka stands in her way.
MELBOURNE, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Almost exactly a decade ago, glued to her television and beaming when Li Na lifted the women's singles trophy at the Australian Open, an 11-year-old girl in China's Hubei Province felt inspired and motivated.
January 25, 2014, is a famous date for Chinese tennis and marks Li's second Grand Slam title after her historic triumph at Roland Garros three years earlier.
But just eight months later, Li succumbed to chronic knee injuries and retired from professional tennis.
No Chinese tennis player had reached a Grand Slam singles final until 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen, a decade on from watching Li hoist the trophy, contests the women's final against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday in Melbourne.
"Watching Li win her title at the Grand Slam, I was thinking that we, as Chinese and Asian, can play really good tennis and have the potential to challenge top players," said Zheng, who will move into the top 10 in the rankings for the first time.
"Before Li, you might feel that it was impossible for us to reach the final at a Grand Slam. But with her breaking the ceiling, it dawned on me that we can also reach the same stage just like Li did," she noted.
"She made the impossible possible, which is extremely significant as I see it."
The omens are good for Zheng, who beat Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska in straight sets in a semifinal played exactly 10 years after she watched Li's feats at Rod Laver Arena.
Raising her arms aloft and letting out a roar, Zheng said she found it hard to explain her emotions immediately after she reached the final, as her childhood dreams came true on the same court that Li had once dominated.
"For sure, the feeling was incredible to arrive at my first Grand Slam final. That's my dream since I was a kid," she said.
"For sure, I'm really happy, but I know there is still another fight to go. I'm trying to control my emotions right now."
Despite early exits of major seeds, including world No.1 Iga Swiatek and last year's finalist Elena Rybakina, Zheng overcame some bumps to become a fan favorite through her aggressive style and composure under duress.
Zheng displayed those traits in her first-round comeback win over Ashlyn Krueger, while she overcame strong winds at an outdoor court to sweep past Katie Boulter in the second round.
Zheng had her biggest test in the third round against compatriot Wang Yafan in a nerve-wracking 10-point tiebreak before she threw her racket in the air in a visible sign of emotion.
She again had to muster her fighting resolve to defeat Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals in another comeback victory.
"I tried to tell myself 'stay focused, don't think too much, just focus right now'," said Zheng.
Zheng has also taken heed of the advice from Li, whom she met for the first time after her last 16 win. Li told her to "keep it simple and don't think too much", but it's a mantra she's demonstrated in the new season, starting with her impressive performance at the mixed teams United Cup.
When asked during that tournament whether cracking the top 10 was a goal this year, Zheng told Xinhua that she didn't care too much about rankings anymore.
"I just want to play every game well and bring out what I want to play in each game. Where there is a process, there comes a result. Stay focused on every day is what I require myself to do," Zheng said.
At last year's Australian Open, Zheng stated her bid to break into the top 10, only to subsequently suffer an early exit in the second round.
"At that time, I was just being confident about myself with a great sum of expectations which I was unable to handle properly," said Zheng. "But after a year-long effort while experiencing all the ebbs and flows, I've developed a more settled mindset."
Zheng's maturation has been noticed by Pere Riba, who recently returned as her coach after a short split.
"I've never seen in my life a player with the work ethic that she has, that always is ready for practice, really hard worker," the Spaniard recalled.
"To be honest, I have to say sometimes we are getting angry, because she wants to do more, and I have to stop her."
Watching how a talented teenager grew into China's biggest tennis star, Riba said Zheng strived to constantly improve as she has shown during the Australian Open.
"She arrived with very good feelings. She arrived really motivated. And then if she plays her game, she will have her chances," Riba said of Zheng's final against Sabalenka.
On Saturday night, Zheng will step onto Rod Laver Arena and attempt to end China's long title drought.
After a rollercoaster run to the final, Zheng said she now realized why players can be combustible under the bright lights.
"Now, after I played at this arena, I finally realized that at those critical points, it was difficult to control your emotions. I can understand those feelings right now," said Zheng.
While inspired by Li, Zheng said that Sabalenka represented a different challenge to those her idol had to overcome.
"As I watched every match played by Li at least 10 times, I found that she didn't face any big hitters in finals," Zheng said. "But Sabalenka is one of the biggest hitters right now in the tour. She's got the biggest serve, which will pose a great challenge to me."
Zheng added that comparisons with Li are unavoidable, but said she wants to stick to her own path and be the best version of herself.
"Some make their names at a very young age, while others may need to go through a lot of hardships before getting their trophy," Zheng said. "I don't know which way I will take or what I can achieve on my path. But I just want to be the best me."
There will be countless youngsters in China camped in front of their televisions when Zheng takes to the court to face Sabalenka as she inspires the next generation.
"As a professional player, you must be focused and play out your good tennis on-court," Zheng said. "While off-court, I also want to be a positive, life-loving person, and become a good role model to them." ■
