Fans elated as Li Na storms into Open final

China's Li Na Thursday stormed into the final of the Australian Open, rekindling the expectations of millions of fans back home through her success in one of the world's most popular commercial games and her charismatic performance.

Li crushed second seed Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena, overpowering the Russian in a breathtaking display of power hitting to set up her second title shot at Melbourne Park against defending champion Victoria Azarenka on Saturday.

Li, 30, played the final of the Australian Open two years ago, but lost the match. She had endured more than 18 months in the grand slam wilderness after winning the French Open that year.

At a press conference after the match, Li said she did not feel the pressure of 2011.

"(In) 2011, (the) first time to the grand slam final, I was a little bit shocked because I didn't know what I should do," Li told reporters. "Also no one told me what I should do on the court. But this time I've got more experience, so I think I should be better."

Fans in China closely followed the 100-minute-long match through a live broadcast on TV and the Internet. Soon after Li eliminated Sharapova, congratulations from fans flooded Sina Weibo.

Within hours of her victory, Li's advancement had generated some 14.5 million posts on Weibo, with most of them cheering on her success and wishing her good luck in the final.

Li has become a household name among Chinese sports fans, achieving the iconic status of figures like NBA star Yao Ming and Olympic hurdler Liu Xiang.

Her 2011 French Open triumph was watched by a television audience of 116 million in China, a domestic record for a sporting event that year.

Zhang Qing, CEO of the Beijing-based Key-solution Sports Consultant Company, said that tennis is becoming increasingly popular among medium- to high-end Chinese sports fans, with the promotion of highly commercialized tournaments.

Yang Yibin, Marketing Manager of Juss Event and tournament director of the Shanghai Rolex Masters, regards Li as a source of "national pride" for China, saying her success in the high-profile Grand Slam invigorated her compatriots.

Achievements in the global sports arena have long been associated with national strength in China. Huge amounts of money are spent identifying and training athletes from a young age, although there are frequent complaints about the callousness of the State-run sports system, especially toward those contestants who fail to reach the top.

Besides the national pride triggered by Li's success in the major tennis tournament, Zhang noted that the fans' enthusiasm for the star was also due to her charisma.

Unlike most of the athletes in the country, Li plays outside China's State-run sports system, after being allowed to break away from it in 2008 under an experimental policy known as "Flying Alone." Fans see her as emotional, bold and not afraid to show her feelings.

Li has repeatedly said that she doesn't compete for the nation but only for herself, drawing fierce criticisms from sports authorities, though many sports fans showed understanding toward her statement.