Li shows he still has fire

Despite struggling in the shadow of younger compatriots for years, veteran Li Zhe on Sunday proved it's too soon to write him off as one of China's male tennis elites by winning his first Grand Slam wild card in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

Entering the final of the 2019 Australian Open Asia-Pacific playoff as the underdog, Li overcame a first-set scare to beat China's top men's player Zhang Ze 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 to win his first career entry into the main draw of a major.

At age 32, Li, who lost playoff finals in 2014 and 2017, will be the oldest Chinese player to make a Grand Slam singles debut when he competes in Melbourne next month.

"I'm so excited that I can't hold back my emotions after finally breaking through after trying for so many years," a tearful Li said at the award ceremony in Zhuhai.

"At least I proved I am still competitive at my age. It's a great release of a lot of pressure. Now I hope to enjoy my first appearance at a Grand Slam, no matter who I play in Melbourne."

Li, China's second-highest-ranked player at world No 255, joins top ace Zhang (No 220) and Wu Di (No 348) as the third male from the Chinese mainland to enter a Grand Slam main draw.

Wu won the inaugural wild card playoff in 2012 at 21 to enter the 2013 Aussie Open before Zhang, 28, made his Melbourne debut the following year, surviving through qualification rounds. In 2015, Zhang qualified as a wild card winner.