Li Na aces with Oscar-like winning look

With a golden award in hands, smiling ear to ear, Li Na definitely looks like a big winner that night.

Recently she was honoured with the first "Hero" award in Beijing for her outstanding contribution in tennis by China based 'World Tennis' magazine.

Here are more photos at the award presentation ceremony...

(Images via Sina Sports)

Li Na endorses Häagen-Dazs premium ice cream

Australian Open women’s finalist Li Na signed a multi-year million dollar deal to be the spokesperson for Häagen-Dazs in Beijing yesterday.

Sporting a sexy new hairdo, Li Na made her first public appearance in her home country after a proud success at the Grand Slam final in Melbourne.

The press conference was held at a Häagen-Dazs store in the city and also attended by her husband and coach Jiang Shan.

Li Na out of Fed Cup, China loses to Uzbekistan

Without Australian Open runner-up Li Na, who is injured due to leg cramp, China lost to Uzbekistan 3-0 in Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I on Friday.

In the playoff for a slot in World Group II, Uzbekistan will face Japan, which was unbeaten in Group B.

(Image via Sina Sports)

Li Na just one step away from Grand Slam title

I wonder how many billion people will be watching this year's Australian Open women final.

It could be a recording breaking year with the entire country of China rooting for Li Na alone.

Congrats to Li Na for becoming the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final after defeated world no.1 and top seed Caroline Wozniacki 3-6 7-5 6-3.

(Iimage via Yahoo! Sports)

Li Na in festive mood as Lunar New Year draws near

On Tuesday, Li Na made a visit to Chinatown and was photographed attending a lion dance performance.

She'll be playing against Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinal at the Australian Open today and in her bid to become the first Asian player to play in the final and win a Grand Slam.

To get your final week pass to watch the Australian Open LIVE online, click here:

(Images via Sina Sports, Getty Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Golden Flower Li Na does it again at Australian Open

Li Na is currently the only quarterfinalist from last year's Australian Open to reach the last eight.

In an amazing winning streak of 10 matches so far this year, the Chinese player defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-4 in today's match to reach the Australian Open semifinals for the second straight year.

“It’s good for me—second time in a Grand Slam semifinal always in Australian Open,” Li said.

“Hopefully I can do better in this year. I don’t want to lose in semis again.”

There are just two more steps left for Li Na to make tennis history... and the road ahead has never been so clear...

(Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Li Na visits quake orphans, learns Tibetan culture

Recently Li Na made a special visit to an orphanage in Xining, the capital city of Qinghai province in China.

Back in April, a devastated earthquake hit Yushu, in the Qinghai province and the orphanage has taken in children from Yushu.

During the visit, the world no. 10 shared her personal story of success and taught the kids how to play tennis.

In return, she was put into a traditional Tibetan costume and given a traditional dance lesson.

Hmmm... wonder what the Chinese government would think about Li Na embracing the Tibetan culture


It's easier to play tennis than learning to dance


Now here comes the graceful twirl

(Images via Sina Sports)

Happy Birthday Li Na!

Today is Li Na's 28th birthday and I'm lucky enough to be invited to her surprise birthday bash.

Together with the linesmen, ballboys/ballgirls, media and organisers, we started off by singing the birthday song (Malay version) and followed by the English version.

The bouquet of flowers was from HCFoo's Tennis Blog ;-)

Hope Li Na will have a great year ahead and perhaps win the Grand Slam this year ;)

(Images by HSFoo)

Li Na, Kimiko Date, Klepac, Kapshay, Marosi, Jurak at Pro-Am Tennis Tourney

Six professional and four amateur players participated in the WTA Malaysian Open 2010’s inaugural Pro-Am this morning at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort.

The pro players were Li Na, Kimiko Date-Krumm, Andreja Klepac, Veronika Kapshay, Katalin Marosi and Darija Jurak. The amateur players including Y.Bhg. Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Youth and Sports and renowned local singer Ning Baizura.

Local celebrity Ning Baizura getting signatures from Jurak and Kimiko.

After the match, my sister managed to take picture with her idols Li Na and Kimiko.

Ain't Li Na cute with that smiley face? And Kimiko sure knows how to pose for an elegant shot ;)

(Images by Carbon Media, HSFoo)

WTA Malaysian Open 2010: Day 2 Results & OOP for Day 3

Newly crowned world no.10 Li Na crashed out of the Malaysian Open after losing to Tatjana Malek (GER) 1-6, 7-5, 2-6.

Top seed Elena Dementieva and no.3 seed Zheng Jie both progressed to the second round after her easy defeat over Russians Ekaterina Bychkova and Elena Bovina respectively.

Other singles matches saw young Asian players like Chang Kai-Chen and wildcard recipient Noppawan Lertcheewakarn move into the next round.

Here's the complete results for Day 2 at the Sony Ericsson WTA Malaysian Open:

Singles
Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) def. Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) 6-0, 3-0 (ret)
Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) def. Stefanie Voegelle (SUI) 6-2, 6-1
Chang Kai-Chen (TPE) def. Zhang Shuai (CHN) 7-6 (4) 7-5
Magdelena Rybarikova (SVK) def. Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 7-5, 6-3
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA) def. Ksenia Pervak (RUS) 6-1, 6-4
Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) def. Yurika Sema (JPN) 6-3, 6-2Zheng Jie (CHN) def. Elena Bovina (RUS) 6-4, 6-3
Sybille Bammer (AUT) def. Anna Gerasimou (GRE) 7-5, 6-4Tatjana Malek (GER) def. Li Na (CHN) 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
Elena Dementieva (RUS) def. Ekaterina Bychkova (RUS) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles
Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) and Arina Rodionova (RUS) def. Yuliya Beygelzimer (UKR) and Yuliana Fedak (UKR) 7-6 (4), 4-6, 10-6
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) and Yan Zi (CHN) def. Melinda Czink (HUN) and Natalie Grandin (RSA) 6-2, 6-1
Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) and Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) def. Trang Huynh Phuong Dai (VIE) and Jawairiah Noordin (MAS) 6-4, 6-2
Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) and Darya Kustova (BLR) def. Olga Govortsova (BLR) and Ipek Senoglu (TUR) 6-3, 7-5

Meanwhile here's the OOP and event highlights for Day 3:

Click on image for larger view

11AM-12PM: Players’ visit to Taman Megah Handicapped and Disabled Children’s Home
1PM: Start of main draw
3PM: Malaysian Cuisine Cooking session with players at Bukit Kiara Equestrian Resort
4.30-5.00PM: Autograph session
6.00PM: Feature Match of the day
7.30-8.00PM: Autograph Session

(Via Carbon Media; Li Na's image by Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters)

WTA Malaysian Open 2010 officially kicks off!

I had a soaking wet yet awesome time at the Malaysian Open 2010 yesterday. Met a lot of friends whom I got to know from ATP Malaysian Open last year.

Especially thanks to Dunlop Sporting Goods director Mr Alan Tang who gave me tickets for the entire tournament week. Now I have a lot of ticket allocation job to be done so that most friends, if not all have the opportunity to witness this inaugural tournament.

It was really hot at the tournament site. So my advice is don't dress in black, wear a cap and bring mini towel, umbrella and enough WATER!

So, yesterday, the four qualifier spots in the main draw of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Malaysian Open 2010 were decided today at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Club.

The singles matches of the main draw also kicked off in the afternoon, even though there was a brief delay due to rain.

Ksenia Pervak, Anna Gerasimou, Yurika Sema and Elena Bovina all overcame their opponents in the final round of qualifying and will continue to battle in the US$220,000 tournament.

Check out the complete Main Draw singles here.

Click on image for larger view

In yesterday's earlier singles Main Draw, Anastasia Rodionova defeated 8th seed Belarusian Olga Govortsova 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 while another Belarusian Darya Kustova fell to Ekaterina Ivanova, also in three sets.

The Official Opening Ceremony of the event also took place yesterday evening on Centre Court with Y.Bhg. Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Youth and Sports, in attendance as the Guest-of-Honour.

He officially opened the tournament after a lion dance performance and a short sparring session with Kimiko Date-Krumm as his partner against China’s Li Na and Yan Zi.

Today's singles matches will feature the tournament’s 1st seed Elena Dementieva and 2nd seed Li Na in action.

Check out the OOP for Day 2 below.

Click on image for larger view

Other highlights for today include a players’ visit to The Mines Resort & Golf Club at 11AM as well as two autograph sessions which will be held at 4.30PM and 730PM in the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort Sponsors Village.

(Images by Carbon Media)

WTA Malaysian Open 2010: Main draw & OOP unveiled

The main draw for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Malaysian Open 2010 was held on Saturday afternoon and was attended by Elena Dementieva and Ekaterina Ivanova.

Both Zheng Jie and Li Na are placed in the opposite sides of the draw; setting up a potential all-Chinese final between the two.

Check out the complete Main Draw Singles and OOP below.

Click on the images for larger view

And here's the Doubles Main Draw.

Click on the image for larger view

Too bad many players did not turn up at this tournament, which includes crowd-puller at the recent Asia/Oceania Fed Cup Kimiko Date-Krumm, Sania Mirza, Sabine Lisicki and Jelena Dokic.

(Image by Carbon Media)

US Open Day 9 Wrap-up: Nadal gets the kiss, Murray gets the kick

More bizarre incident happened on Day 9.

Just when Rafael Nadal finished the match against Gael Monfils, a fan ran out of nowhere, approached the Spanish player and gave him a kiss before a woman security guard intervened.

Here's the video taken from Gototennisblog.

When asked about the incident, Nadal said, "For me, it wasn’t a problem. The guy was really nice. He said, ‘I love you,’ and he kissed me.” :D

By defeating Monfils 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 to move on to the quarterfinals, Nadal will regain his no. 2 ranking from Andy Murray who was upset by Marin Cilic earlier.

Back to Nadal, he'll try to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the US Open.

He'll meet Fernando Gonzalez in the quarterfinal after the Chilean eliminated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

In another men's singles match, Juan Martin del Potro defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

In the women's singles, Kim Clijsters dispatched Li Na in straight sets with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

The opponent waiting for her next in the semifinals is none other than Serena Williams who sent off Flavia Pennetta 6-4 6-3.

Here's Wednesday’s order of play on day 10 at the U.S. Open (prefix denotes seeding):

(Not before 1630GMT)
Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) v Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine)
4-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) v 10-Fernando Verdasco (Spain)

(Not before 2300GMT)
Melanie Oudin (U.S.) v 9-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark)
1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) 12-Robin Soderling (Sweden)

(Via AP, US Open website)

US Open Day 7 Wrap-up: Lack of star power, Clijster, Pennetta steal the show

I remember very well that in the last couple of years, there were quite a number of celebrities who added glitter to the US Open every single day.

So what happen this year?

Besides Alec Baldwin, Will Ferrell, Kim Cattrall, Patrick Stewart, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Love Hewitt, I haven't really seen any hotter stars than those I just mentioned.

Celebrities aside, I think the player of the day is Kim Clijsters.

Clijsters marked her dazzling return to the grand slam by ousting Venus Williams with a wild yet weird 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 victory!

The Belgian mum will face Li Na next after the Chinese beat Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-3.

In another exciting match, Flavia Pennetta saved six match points to advance to the quarterfinal with a 3-6, 7-6, 6-0 victory over Vera Zvonareva.

Pennetta will face Serena Williams next!

In the men's singles, Andy Murray joined Juan Martin del Potro, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Rafael Nadal and Fernando Gonzalez to the next round.

Earlier of the day, Nadal knocked off compatriot Nicolas Almagro 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

During the match, Nadal was treated for a stomach muscle problem while Almagro also received a treatment for back problem.

Nadal's next opponent is Gael Monfils who advanced when Jose Acasuso quit because of left knee pain while trailing 6-3, 6-4, 1-0.

In the last match of the day, Murray, needed only 90 minutes to sent off Taylor Dent 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 and set up a fourth-round encounter with Marin Cilic.

US Open men's singles third round results from New York on Monday (prefix denotes seeding)

2-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Taylor Dent (US) 6-3 6-2 6-2
6-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Daniel Koellerer (Austria) 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-3
7-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat Julien Benneteau (France) 7-6(4) 6-2 6-4
11-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) beat 17-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) 7-5 6-4 6-4
3-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat 32-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 7-5 6-4 6-4
24-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat 9-Gilles Simon (France) 1-6 6-4 7-6(5) 1-0 (Simon retired)

US Open women's singles fourth round results from New York on Monday (prefix denotes seeding)

10-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat 7-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 3-6, 7-6, 6-0
Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat 3-Venus Williams (US) 6-0 0-6 6-4
18-Li Na (China) beat 26-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 6-2 6-3
2-Serena Williams (US) beat 22-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-2 6-0

(Via AP, Reuters, TVNZ, US Open website)