Martina Hingis vs. Li Na Australian Open 2007 R4

Farewell to Australian Open in singles
It's one of my favorite matches of Martina's second singles career, and it was only recently I found a wonderful copy of this match which was Martina's very last win in singles at the Australian Open.
Martina proved that even though she did not produce deep shots, her talent and understanding of the game were always at the highest level.

More questions were raised about Li Na’s mental toughness. Li had a chance to become China’s first singles quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park but, despite dominating the first set, exited in three sets at the hands of Martina.

“Li Na lost to herself,” said the headline in Tuesday’s edition of The First sports daily, while the Beijing Morning Post led with: “69 unforced errors -- generous Li Na hands victory to Hingis.”

There has, however, been a question mark over her temperament since she quit the game for a couple of years in 2002, while her fierce temper has seen the back of five coaches since her return.

“She’s not ‘gradually rising to the top as some media are saying,” China’s head coach Jiang Hongwei told The First. “I can only say that her form is steady.”

Li said this week she hated answering questions about her mental state and thought she was becoming better at playing against the best players in the world.

“I used to be scared of playing against top 10 players,” she told Titan Sports paper before her fourth-round exit in Melbourne. “But in the last two years, the more I played them, the more confident I became.”

In an attempt to bolster her “weak mentality,” the China Tennis Association (CTA) has handed the coaching reins to her husband, Jiang Shan, although he was unable to go to Australia because of visa problems.

“Communications have become easier,” Li told Titan. “My husband is able to tolerate me when I lose my temper... It put my heart at ease after he joined the team.”

That Li could have been expected to beat three-times Australian Open champion Hingis is a mark of how far she has come, but also the high level of expectation there is in China.

“There are still some disparities in a variety of play and powers of control between Li Na and mature players like Hingis,” deputy director of the CTA Gao Shenyang told The First.

“But in general, her performances at the Australian Open have still brought us new hope.”
Martina 💖
Enjoy!