Tennis版 - Li Na wins the battle of the knees |
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发帖数: 12169 | 1 http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2013-06-25/2013062
To the loud approval of a large contingent of her followers on Court 12,
China’s Li Na cruised into the second round of the Ladies’ Singles by
defeating Michaella Krajicek, the would-be comeback kid from Holland, in a
match that was more closely contested than the 6-1, 6-1 scoreline would
indicate.
This might be termed the Battle of the Wounded Knees, since both players
have spent much time out of action with knee problems. Li, the sixth seed at
The Championships, was sidelined for four months of the 2008 season after
surgery on her right knee and was out for a month with ankle trouble
sustained in losing the final of this year’s Australian Open, while the 24-
year-old Krajicek, having suffered knee injuries involving surgery since the
age of 16, spent much of 2012 out of action because of more trouble with
the right knee.
As a result of missing so much of last season, Krajicek’s ranking has
plummeted to 575, but she gained direct entry to Wimbledon by being awarded
a special ranking of 105. It was her first appearance at The Championships
since 2008 and the rustiness showed.
Li has the ranking and the Grand Slam track record (as champion of Roland
Garros in 2011), while Krajicek can boast the family pedigree on grass, her
older brother Richard having won the Gentlemen’s Championship here in 1996,
but it was the 31-year-old Li’s superior striking power and form which
tilted an entertaining match so decisively. The contest was filled with hard
, deep hitting, the difference between the two being that Li consistently
struck the ball not only harder but more accurately.
In build and looks Krajicek bears more than a passing resemblance to Steffi
Graf, but if Li was perturbed by this factor it certainly did not show. The
Chinese broke in the opening game when Krajicek slipped on the baseline, and
stayed comfortably in front with the exception of the fourth game, when
Krajicek held a break-back point for 2-2, only for the opportunity to escape
her. Having clung on to her serve to establish a 3-1 lead, Li broke serve
twice more in toughly fought deuce games to capture the first set in 33
minutes.
Things rapidly became bleaker for the Dutch woman as Li hammered her way
into a 5-0 second set lead until Krajicek finally held serve to guarantee
the match would go beyond the hour mark. Only then did Li falter, committing
three double-faults and fighting off two break points as she served for the
match. In the end, on Li’s third match point, Krajicek obliged her by
walloping a forehand service return well out.
Li summed up the victory as “a pretty good start to Wimbledon”, having
lost in the second round of both the 2011 and 2012 Championships. “I still
have to get used to playing on grass, so I was feeling pretty happy today.”
Li is in the forefront of popular athletes in China and is reported to have
a social network following of more than 10 million, but claimed “I really
had no idea”. As for the hundreds of her compatriots cheering her every
winner on Court 12, Li said, “Maybe they are students learning English here
, watching the tennis, having fun.” Whatever the reason, Li smiled and
acknowledged that she “really loved” their support.
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