Li Na will hope to confirm her spot at the end-of-year championships and seal her biggest win on home soil when she takes on a star-studded field at the China Open starting this weekend.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic headline the men’s draw and Serena Williams leads a packed women’s field at the dual ATP and WTA event at Beijing’s Olympic Park.
But former French Open champion Li will be the centre of attention for home fans, and she will look to ride a surge in form which made her the first Asian player to reach the US Open semi-finals this month.
The 31-year-old world No.5 is targeting a strong finish to a season which has also brought a seventh career title, her second Australian Open final and a deep run at Wimbledon.
In Beijing, Li has the opportunity to book her place at the season finale, next month’s WTA Championships in Istanbul, featuring the top eight women’s players.
She might also get the chance to avenge her US Open semi-final defeat to Williams, a match in which she only managed to take three games.
Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska – ranked one, two, three and four in the world – have already qualified for the WTA Championships.
Li has twice reached the semi-finals at the prestigious Beijing event without being able to go all the way. She has won twice in China, in Shenzhen this year and in Guangzhou in 2004.
But first up for Li is an exhibition match against men’s No.1 Djokovic on Friday.
“Haha, are you ready to play me?” the Serb said on his Sina Weibo microblog.
“Don’t be happy too early,” Li joked. “I have a plan for the game. It is not certain who will be the winner and the loser.”
Djokovic, one of six of the men’s top 10 in Beijing, is unbeaten in three visits to the tournament after wins in 2009 and 2010 were followed by victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in last year’s final.
And with the inclusion of Spain’s Nadal, the tournament offers the mouth-watering prospect of a repeat of the US Open final between the world No.1 and No.2.
Nadal’s compatriot and world No.4 David Ferrer is also present, along with Czech Tomas Berdych and France’s Richard Gasquet.
