Na Li qualifies for Istanbul

Following her most successful year in competitive tennis to date, Na Li has qualified for this season’s TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships. Li got her season off to a flying start by winning WTA Sydney. She then came close to winning her first ever slam title by finishing as the runner-up as the Australian Open.

Li then went one better at the French Open, where she became the first Asian player in tennis history to win a major. She hasn’t been able to recreate this kind of form since, but she’s done enough to guarantee her place in the top eight at the end of the 2011 season.

Speaking of her success, Li said, “this year has been the most successful of my career so far and I'm very happy to have qualified for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships...I'm proud to be the first Chinese woman to qualify in singles for this event and I look forward to some tough matches against the best players of the season."