Li’s near miss may yet open floodgates

KIM CLIJSTERS may have claimed the Australian Open title, but Li Na will arguably leave Melbourne having made the greater impact.

Li became the first Chinese woman to reach a grand slam singles final in which she fought hard before going down 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 as Clijsters notched up her fourth major title and first outside New York.

But the 28-year-old from Wuhan achieved far more than simply winning six matches at Melbourne Park – she brought tennis into millions of homes in China, potentially paving the way for a new generation of players from a country yet to really make its mark on the sport.