With two Chinese players into the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, the search for reasons is getting intricate.
Not wanting to get too technical, Li Na joked after her 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 4-seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Monday that the recipe for success might be Chinese food.
Then she thought better of it. The real cause, she put simply: ``No, we are working so hard.''
Li's win over U.S. Open finalist Wozniacki earned her a third trip to the quarterfinals of a major, following her runs at Wimbledon in 2006 and at the U.S. Open last year.
Zheng Jie, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2008, had already secured a quarterfinal place at Melbourne Park on Sunday, in the other half of the draw. She plays Russia's Maria Kirilenko in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Li will play seven-time Grand Slam singles winner Venus Williams on Wednesday.
Li finished 2009 ranked No. 15 and the 27-year-old says her strong performance in the season-opening major is the start of even better to come.
When asked if she is playing the best tennis of her career, she smiled: ``Hopefully not. I want better. For me, this year I want to come to Top 10.''
One of her rivals in that target Zheng, a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion who on Sunday became the first Chinese woman ever through to the Australian Open quarterfinals. The unseeded Zheng defeated three seeded players along the way.
Li was proud of both of them.
``Nothing better,'' she said, smiling, ``Good for us. Both players come to quarterfinal.''
Zheng said Sunday that it's not unrealistic to expect either Chinese player to go further in the Australian Open.
``I hope we can be in the semifinals for both Chinese player,'' Zheng said. ``Now is in the quarterfinal. You don't know which one have the chance. I think everybody have the big chance in the semifinal.''
No Chinese player has ever broken into the top 10 or won a major singles title. But both Li and Zheng have made it into the top 15 - the first time China had two players in the top 20. Zheng now stands at No. 35.
Some credit their international improvement to the dramatic decision at the end of 2008 to leave China's state-supported sports system and manage their own careers, including paying their own expenses. Women's players Yan Zi and Peng Shuai joined them in the move.
Three of the four have improved their rankings since their decision.
``It is very important for us to have the right to choose,'' Li told the English-language People's Daily newspaper. ``I love what it is right now. In the past, national or the provincial sports administrators arranged everything for you and you have no options but to follow their arrangements.''
Zheng - who partnered with Yan to win both the Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles in 2006 for China's first Grand Slam titles - said that public interest in tennis and government support is on the rise in China, and it was just a matter of time before China produces a top-10 singles player.
``When it comes to media interest, corporate sponsors - in every aspect, there is a deeper interest and understanding in tennis,'' Zheng said. ``They (younger players) enjoy very good conditions. ... I believe if they take their chances, they can surpass our generation.''
At Wimbledon in 2006, Li became the first Chinese player to ever reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Zheng improved that record two years later in southwest London.
After taking time off early last year for knee surgery, missing the Australian Open, Li said she now travels with a physiotherapist, as well as her husband and coach Shan Jiang.
``Now much better,'' she said of her knee. ``Everyone can see I was running so fast on the court.''
Her match against Wozniacki featured long volleys and strong winners. Li held when it counted, saving three break points in an 11-minute opening game. She served it out in the last game, on her second match point, finally winning in a 98-minute match featuring 12 service breaks.
Li also defeated Wozniacki at the Sydney International two weeks ago.
``I was playing aggressive today. I know she's a good player, so it was a tough match,'' Li said. ``I know if I give her a chance, maybe she just beat me. So I was trying to hold every point. I didn't want to give her a chance.''
Li's next opponent is Venus Williams. They played only once before - at the 2008 Beijing Olympics - when Li won 7-5, 7-5 in the quarterfinals. But Li is not living off past glories.
``I didn't want always to think about the last match. I want to look forward,'' she said.
In the meantime she's looking forward to dinner. A fan of Melbourne's Asian restaurants, she was asked what was on the menu for Monday night.
``I love Chinese food so around the world I always find Chinese restaurants,'' she said. ``Because yesterday was Korean (food), maybe today I go Chinese.''
