China and Asia Savour Li Na's

Monday 6th June, 2011 13

SHARAPOVA PULLS OUT China and Asia OF AEGON CLASSIC

Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has reported- savour Li Na’s win ly pulled out of a pre- Wimbledon grasscourt tournament in China’s June 4, 1989 crack- Birmingham due to ill- down on pro-democracy ness. The former world protests in Tiananmen Square. number one revealed Tens of thousands of people that she felt really tired held candles aloft in a public during her stint during park and laid a wreath at a makeshift memorial. the claycourt season. In Taiwan, the self-ruled She had posted impres- island that Beijing claims as sive wins during the its own territory, Li’s victory season including a was the top story in the news- semi-final run at the paper United Daily News, Roland Garros 2011 under the headline, “In the tournament. She lost French Women’s singles Li Na the semi-final match to is Crowned Empress.” China’s Li Na on In Singapore, the tabloid Thursday. New Paper declared, “At Last! A grand slam champion from Sharapova said that Asia.” she already felt ill dur- ing the second week of Thailand’s Paradorn Maria Sharapova Srichaphan, who became the the French Open tour- highest-ranked Asian men’s nament. warm-up grasscourt for a wildcard for the player when he reached No. 9 The AEGON Classic tournament before the AEGON International in 2003, expressed hope the vic- in Birmingham starts Wimbledon event. The tournament, which tory would boost the populari- on June 6 and is 2004 Wimbledon cham- begins on June 12 in ty of tennis and prompt more Sharapova’s usual pion has not yet asked Eastbourne. government support. “I’m sure that a lot of Chinese kids will play tennis more because of her,” said Paradorn. China’s Li Na kisses the cup after defeating Italy’s Francesca Schiavone in the women’s final “She is undoubtedly the Kirsten to coach Proteas, of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, Saturday June 4, 2011, in product of the Chinese gov- Paris. Li Na won 6-4, 7-6. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) ernment, which put a lot of budget and effort into sending BY JOE MCDONALD gratulated each other in an apparent her to international events,” he said. “If ‘White Lightning’ assistant? effort to link the government to the vic- BEIJING (AP) — Li Na’s landmark tory, even though Li trains independent- our government does the same, we will tenure. French Open victory sparked celebra- ly. have a lot of good players as well.” BY RUSSELL PALIPANE According to the ‘Cape The Chinese Olympic Committee and China is experiencing the second tions and recognition throughout Asia Times’, former South Africa on Sunday while China’s state media other agencies expressed “heartfelt con- wave of Li fever this year following her Former South Africa open- runner-up finish at the Australian Open ing bat and former India crick- fast bowler Allan Donald is told its athletes to learn from her as they gratulations” in a joint letter to the gov- anticipated to join Kirsten as prepare for next year’s London ernment’s Tennis Sports Management that saw her dubbed “the pride of et coach, Gary Kirsten is set to be named as the Proteas’ new his assistant, while Russell Olympics. Centre, according to the state Xinhua China” by the mainstream media. coach today. Domingo’s domestic success Li’s victory over defending champion News Agency. The head of the Chinese tennis feder- While Cricket South Africa with the Warriors sees him in “There is no doubt this will encour- ation was quoted at the time as compar- Francesca Schiavone on Saturday came (CSA), are not commenting on line for a position on the man- age and inspire Chinese athletes in other ing Li to Houston Rockets centre Yao at 11 p.m. in Beijing on a holiday week- Kirsten’s appointment, as con- agement staff. end, but Chinese state television fields to undergo hard training, strength- Ming and Olympic champion hurdler tractual and personal terms “Gary will be good for South rebroadcast the match Sunday and it en their confidence and make Liu Xiang, until now China’s best known are yet to be established, he is African cricket. He has done was on the front pages of excellent achievements in the international athletes. expected to fill the void left by unbelievably well with India. most newspapers. London 2012 Olympics,” said In a microblog comment posted outgoing coach Corrie van Zyl, He has a great work ethic and People’s Daily, the the letter. Sunday, Liu Xiang declared Li’s victory who resumed his position as knows what is expected of a flagship paper of the rul- Elsewhere in Asia, the vic- “amazing and marvelous.” High Performance Centre man- coach at international level,” ing Communist Party, put tory was front-page news in In China, tennis still is an elite sport, ager at the end of the World former Proteas captain Kepler Gary Kirsten a large colour photo of Li Japan and Hong Kong, running far behind basketball, football Cup, according to a report in Wessels, was quoted as having kissing her trophy at the though tennis has only a and other sports in popularity. the ‘cricket365.com.’ website. said. “Allan has wanted to be involved with top of its front page under small regional following and At the Green Bank Tennis Club on Kirsten, who capped off a very suc- the headline “Li Na celebratory sentiment might cessful contract with glory in the limit- the Proteas for a long time. He is very Beijing’s northern edge, fans gathered passionate about South African cricket Reached the Summit of the be dampened by unease at late Saturday to watch the match on a ed-overs showpiece earlier this year, also led the Indians to the helm of the ICC and he will do a good job. He has coached Grand Slam.” China’s rising military big-screen TV set up on a tennis court. might and a series of polit- Test rankings, during his two-year quite a lot and is good technically and Li’s career blossomed “Throughout China’s history people ical strains with its neighbours. tactically,” Wessels added. after she pulled out of knew nothing of tennis. Now we’re In Japan, which Beijing sees as a China’s government-run standing on the summit of the world rival for regional leadership, news media sports training system in 2008. That will game,” said Zhang Yueming, the club’s likely raise questions about the costly celebrated Li’s victory as an Asian first. general manager. system, which has produced Olympic The giant Yomiuri newspaper ran a Chen Jiaojiao, who said she is from champions in gymnastics and athletics front-page photo of her with her trophy. Li’s home province of Hubei, called the — along with other racket sports such as “First from Asia,” said a headline in win “a huge boost of confidence for badminton and table tennis — but has a the Asahi newspaper. poor record in more commercial sports In Hong Kong, the match was over- Chinese tennis.” such as tennis and golf. shadowed in news coverage by commem- “She’s brought the country so much Chinese sports officials publicly con- orations Saturday of the anniversary of glory. She’s really incredible,” Chen said. Fratangelo wins junior title

PARIS (AP) — Bjorn the 14th-seeded Thiem hit a Fratangelo became the first backhand return long on American boy since John match point. McEnroe in 1977 to win the Fratangelo of Pittsbugh, junior title at the French Pennsylvania, began playing Open by defeating Dominic tennis at the age of four and Thiem of Austria 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 hopes to win major titles like on Sunday. McEnroe, who went on to cap- The unseeded Fratangelo ture seven Grand Slam titles. broke serve at 6-all when In the girls’ final, the USA’s Bjorn Fratangelo holds his trophy after defeating Thiem’s backhand sailed ninth-seeded Ons Jabeur of Austria’s Dominic Thiem in the boys’ final of the French Open wide. He clinched victory and Tunisia beat No. 5 Monica tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, Sunday, fell flat on the red dirt when Puig of Puerto 7-6 (8), 6-1. June 5, 2011, in Paris. (AP Photo/Laurent Baheux) Nestor, Mirnyi win doubles title

Max Mirnyi of Belarus, left, and Daniel Nestor of Canada, right, hold the trophy after defeating Juan Sebatian Cabal of Colombia and Eduardo Schwank of Argentina in the men’s doubles’ final of the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Saturday June 4, 2011. Nestor and Mirnyi won their first Grand Slam title by defeat- ing Eduardo and Juan 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4 on Saturday in the French Open final. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)