Li claims her first title since Roland Garros

Li Na of China poses with the winner's trophy after defeating Angelique Kerber of Germany during the final of the Western & Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Sunday in Mason, Ohio. Matthew Stockman / Agence France-Presse

Chinese ace fights back to beat Kerber, praises work done by her new coach

China's Li Na was finishing lunch when the men's final at the Western & Southern Open ended with Roger Federer posing for photos and raising the pottery trophy for the fifth time.

She tried to imagine how it would feel.

"I was thinking, 'OK, I really want to do the same,'" she said.

A few hours later, she did it all, and more.

Li overcame an awful first set to win her first title of the season on Sunday, beating Germany's Angelique Kerber 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the final.

For Federer, it was a record fifth Cincinnati title. For Li, it was her first title anywhere since her breakthrough season in 2011, when she won at Sydney and the French Open. Three times this season, she made it to the final of a tournament. All three times, she lost in three sets.

"So I was really hungry for the title," she said.

Li pumped her fist when she finished off another three-set title match, this time coming out on top. She posed for the photos, just like Federer, then raised the trophy.

Finally, she headed to a corner of the court to sign her name dozens of times on those large yellow tennis balls made for autographs. KC and the Sunshine Band's That's the Way (I Like It) blared through the stadium.

Li was in no hurry to move on.

"I think it's a very good beginning," she said.

Coach hailed

The 30-year-old Li's win was her sixth career title and her first since her French Open triumph last year. It came after she teamed up with Argentine Carlos Rodriguez, the coach of multiple Grand Slam winning Belgian Justine Henin, earlier this week.

Li won nine straight games from a set and a game down to take the second set and then a 3-0 lead in the third and she gave plenty of credit to her new coach.

"Thanks Carlos, you are good," she said during the prize-giving ceremony.

"I think we have a good beginning to our work. Before the match we talked a lot about yesterday's game and also about today.

"Working with him I feel more comfortable, relaxed, not stressed."

Li consulted with Rodriguez after the first set where she had failed to break through Kerber's solid defense.

"He told me to concentrate on my own game and some other things. He's my secret weapon," she said.

The final featured players who knocked the Williams sisters out of an already depleted tournament. Defending champion Maria Sharapova dropped out before the start because of a stomach illness.

Kerber and Li gave the tournament two of its twists.

Kerber, ranked No 7 in the world, ended Serena Williams' 19-match winning streak in the quarterfinals on Friday. She followed that by winning a three-set match in the semifinals, and was struggling to keep up by the second set on Sunday.

"It was a tough week for me with the match against Serena," Kerber said. "It was not easy."

Not for Li, either.

With Serena watching from the stands, Li beat Venus Williams in a three-set semifinal on Saturday night, sending her to the title match after a very trying week. The ninth-ranked Li ended up with the most challenging weekend of the tournament.

Her match on Thursday night was postponed by rain, forcing her to play two matches on Friday less than seven hours apart. She followed that with her win over Venus Williams, then that title-match breakthrough.

It was her second chance in a week to get a trophy. She reached the finals in Montreal on Monday and lost to Petra Kvitova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

Playing back-to-back finals for the first time in her career, Li nearly got run off the court.

Kerber broke her serve while pulling ahead 3-0 in the first set, when Li had trouble keeping the ball in the court. Li made 17 unforced errors while losing the set in 29 minutes.

"She was playing unbelievable in the first set," Li said. "I was trying to play fast, but I was feeling she had no mistakes. Every ball just came back to my side."

Next week, she'll move up a spot to a career-best No 6 in the world.

"One year ago, I was everywhere - 90 to 100 (in the rankings)," she said. "And now I'm in the finals. So many things have changed in the last year. So I prefer this year."

(China Daily 08/21/2012 page23)