Li Na beat Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (0) in the French Open final.
The Australian Open runner-up celebrated by falling flat on her back in the red clay after Schiavone hit a backhand long on match point.
“I was nervous but I didn’t want to show to my opponent,” said Li, who appeared to be letting the match slip away in the second set. “I was a little bit shaking.”
The crowd at Roland Garros was dotted with red Chinese flags and a small vocal group supporting Schiavone. They watched as Li dropped her serve for the only time late in the second set, but then won the final nine points of the match to earn her first major title.
“I couldn’t really push forward from the baseline,” Schiavone said. “She deserved to win. One has to lose, one has to win. She deserves everything.”
She was broken only once by the defending champion, while she converted two of her eight break points – one in each set. She finished with 31 winners, while Schiavone had only 12.
Li took a 3-2 lead in the first when Schiavone sent a forehand wide. She held at love in the next two games, and then won the set when Schiavone sent a forehand long.
29-year-old Li lost her next four matches. But she recovered her form shortly before the French Open, reaching the semifinals in Madrid.
By winning Saturday, Li is expected to jump to No. 4 in the rankings, equaling the record for the highest ranking by a woman from Asia. Japanese player Kimiko Date-Krumm has also been ranked No. 4.
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