China's Li Na completed a successful comeback from injury yesterday, beating Victoria Azarenka in the final of the Australian Women's Hardcourt tennis championships.
Li lost the first set to the 18-year-old Belarusian before gradually asserting control and running out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 winner.
Li had a good start to last year, making the quarter-finals or better five times in 13 events in the first half of last year. But a stress fracture of her right rib forced her off the tour for the rest of the year.
She said she never doubted she would return to the court despite the lengthy layoff, saying she knew she would recover because she was a "strong woman."
Azarenka stormed through the first set, breaking Li in the opening game and pinning her back with an array of powerful groundstrokes.
Li broke back in the sixth to get the set back on serve, but surrendered it immediately to give the initiative back to Azarenka.
Azarenka, who left the court at 4-3 to have her right thigh strapped, showed no signs of wavering as she held her next two service games to take the opening set.
Li stormed back in the second set as her deft placement began to take its toll on Azarenka. Li broke Azarenka three times to send the match into a decider.
Li steadied took advantage of a loose service game from Azarenka at 4-4 in the third set to break and served for the match at 5-4. She raced to 40-15 and clinched the title when Azarenka hit a forehand over the baseline.
FAIRYTALE RUN ENDS
AFP, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
France's Michael Llodra ended the fairytale run of 32-year-old Australian Joseph Sirianni in the semi-finals of the Australian men's hardcourt championships yesterday, winning 6-3, 7-6 (10/8).
Llodra will face third seed Jarkko Nieminen in the final following the Finn's 6-2, 6-4 win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Sirianni was granted a wild card into the tournament after a successful run in local Challenger tournaments.
He stunned onlookers with a come-from-behind win over world No. 25 Paul-Henri Mathieu in the quarter-finals but Llodra disappointed the Adelaide fans when he ended Sirianni's run in one hour, 38 minutes.
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