Australian Open: Zheng Qinwen sparks Chinese tennis hopes going into final - BBC News

The 21-year-old aims to repeat Li Na's 2014 victory going into the Australian Open final.

22 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Zheng Qinwen has reached her first Grand Slam final but can the rising Chinese star repeat Li Na's success a decade on?By Frances MaoBBC NewsOn paper, it sounds like a fairy tale penned by a Chinese tennis fan.

Almost exactly 10 years since Li Na won the Australian Open to become China's first Grand Slam champion a new, young Chinese player will be attempting to follow in her footsteps.

When Zheng Qinwen walks out onto centre court on Saturday, she will be just the second Chinese player in history to reach a major final.

Which means with her will be the hopes of more than a billion Chinese people and diaspora - just a little extra pressure on the 21-year-old, who only broke into the top 10 this week.

Many of those new fans have lapped up the narrative around the bright-eyed young star, who huddled around a television screen to watch Li Na, the woman who would become her hero, pick up her first trophy for China aged just eight.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68102592?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

---