China's hopes of a first grand slam finalist were crushed by two of the greats of the women's game on Thursday but Li Na and Zheng Jie's brilliant Australian Open run marked another step in the country's inevitable rise. Dubbed China's "Golden Flowers" by an appreciative media at home, Li and Zheng's record-shattering path to the semi-finals at Melbourne Park ignited the draw and offered the astonishing possibility of an all-Chinese final. That notion was snuffed out when a rampant Justine Henin thumped 35th-ranked Zheng 6-1, 6-0 following Serena Williams's 7-6, 7-6 win over the 16th-seeded Li.
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Double Happiness – Zheng Jie and Li Na through to the semi-finals of the Australian Open
Both Zheng Jie and Li Na are now through to the semi-finals of the Australian Open after Li Na beat Venus Williams after losing first set 2-6; the match started with Li down 4-0, so it was a dramatic come-back. Even more so when sprung back from a match point to six-times champion Venus.
This is the first time ever two Chinese players have reached the semi-finals of a grand-slam tennis tournament and is a remarkable achievement. The first semi-final for Li Na; Zheng Jie reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon 2008.
Zheng Jie was unseeded and Li Na seeded 16, but their rankings will certainly increase following this very successful run.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/li-na-ousts-venus-williams-from-open-20100127-mwmr.html
http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2010/1/25/li-na-in-dazzling-form