While China's strong surge at the Australian Open ended in two semifinal losses, Li Na and Zheng Jie believe their performances will inspire a new generation of players.
Li, who had an upset win over Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, fought hard against defending champion Serena Williams before losing 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1) on Thursday.
Her compatriot, 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie, fell quickly to Justine Henin in the subsequent match, losing 6-1, 6-0.
The women had upset highly-ranked players and excited a new wave of tennis fans along the road to making history - this year marked the first time two Chinese players advanced to the semifinals at the same Grand Slam tournament.
Li said despite her loss, it was still a good day for her tennis.
``Definitely I'm a little disappointed about losing in the semifinal, but I still believe that today was a very good day for me because I also played well,'' she said.
After Williams broke Li in the opening game, Li fended off a set point in the ninth game before holding, then broke Williams' serve in the 10th game to level the match at 5-5.
In the tiebreaker, Williams picked up four of her last five points on unforced errors by Li and then clinched the 58-minute set with a second-service ace.
The second set went on serve, with Li fending off three match points in the 10th game and another in the 12th to force a second tiebreaker. Again, Williams dominated the tiebreaker to race to a 6-1 lead, closing with her 12th ace of the match.
Li's run to the last four at the Australian Open has propelled her into the top 10 for the first time. Her previous high, and the best by a Chinese player, was No. 15.
Zheng has also reached No. 15 but was ranked 35th going into the season's first major.
Talking about rankings brought a smile to Li's face.
``Actually, for me this year the goal was top 10,'' she said. ``But now I get it. So next, maybe top five. Step by step.''
Zheng had fewer chances against Henin, who is playing in only the second tournament of her comeback. The Chinese player - who teamed up with compatriot Yan Zi to win both the Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles titles in 2006 - lost in just 51 minutes, the shortest match of this tournament.
But Zheng remained positive, saying it wasn't that she had played poorly, just that Henin - her favorite player - was at a higher level than even before her retirement.
``I think the first set, start serve game, she not feeling so well,'' Zheng said. ``I have two time the breakpoint, but not convert. And after this she plays super. I never have a chance. I feel I move so much faster, but she's better than me.''
Zheng is on course for returning to the top 20 thanks to her performance at Melbourne Park.
``The first time in the semifinals in Australian Open for me is very exciting,'' she said. ``It also gives me a lot confidence I can do better.''
Chinese flags were draped in the stands at Rod Laver Arena for the consecutive matches. At home in China, television broadcast the matches live and newspaper headlines lauded the pair.
Tennis fans posted messages of support for the Chinese players on the online forums of several news sites and Web portals.
``Although Li lost, she has still won the respect of her opponents! Williams did not win the point easily,'' one posting on the popular sports page of Sohu.com read. ``We have already come close to reaching the highest part of such a top-level competition. Next time we will have the last laugh!''
Li said the attention on the rise of the two Chinese stars would be good for tennis at home.
``It's not just a good thing for both of us, but also for the development of tennis in China,'' Li said. ``I think for children watching in China, it might give them confidence that they can also do this one day. So, I think this is really a happy moment for tennis in China.''
But while there are a handful of world-class Chinese women players, many are wondering why there are no Chinese men competing in major tours.
``They're still sleeping. They didn't wake up,'' Li explained with a laugh. ``Someday they will wake up.''
