Elena Rybakina put on a brilliant performance to defeat favourite Aryna Sabalenka 64, 46, 64 and lift her first Australian Open trophy.
Outplayed, out-thought and out-manoeuvred, Maria Sharapova's hopes of reaching another Grand Slam final were undone by China's Li Na in unceremonious fashion on Thursday.
China's Li Na, Asia's only grand slam singles champion, announced her retirement from tennis on Friday, citing the effect of long-term injuries, especially her knees.
China's Li Na celebrated her comeback from injury with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 triumph over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to win the Australian Hardcourt Championships in Gold Coast on Saturday.
Li Na, the first Asian woman to win a grand slam singles title, has been served a volley of criticism after her shock first round exit at the China Open.
Chinese tennis star Li Na gave birth to a baby girl early on Wednesday morning.
China's two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na is poised to retire. State media CCTV-5, quoting unnamed insiders, said the 32-year-old tennis ace will announce her decision to quit the game on Friday.
Images from the Australian Open women's final on Saturday.
Having been at the receiving end in the final in 2011 and 2013, Li Na, on her third attempt, will hope to become the first player from Asia to win the Australian Open, a tournament that is billed as the Grand Slam of the Asia Pacific.
Kim Clijsters was courage personified as the defending champion shook off a painful ankle injury and saved four match points to overhaul China's Li Na 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 and reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday.
Defending champion Li Na was shown the door while Maria Sharapova remained on course for a maiden title after the fourth round of the French Open on Monday.
China's Li Na proved too strong for former world number one Maria Sharapova at Edgbaston for the second year in succession on Sunday when she claimed the grasscourt title with a 7-5, 6-1 victory.
Images from Day 10 of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday.
World No 2 Maria Sharapova saved her best performance of the week for last when she successfully defended her Stuttgart Grand Prix title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over second seed Li Na of China to kick off her clay-court season in style on Sunday.
As the 2025 French Open looms, all eyes may be on reigning champions and top seeds - but lurking just beneath the surface are several players quietly building momentum, ready to crash the party in Paris. From seasoned champions finding renewed form to rising stars with something to prove, here are four dark horses who could shake up the women's singles draw at Roland Garros.
China's ninth seed Li Na suffered the same fate as Kim Clijsters as she was dumped out of the US Open on Friday by British teenager Laura Robson.
Li Na suffered a nightmare first round defeat at the China Open on Sunday as she went down 6-4, 6-0 to 58th ranked Romanian Monica Niculescu on an expectant centre court.
Husbands who coach their athlete wives in India can breathe easy. Few seem keen to follow the path set by China's Li Na whose decision to sack husband Jiang Shan as her coach culminated in her winning the French Open, and becoming the first Asian to win a tennis grand slam singles title, earlier this month.
China's Li Na will hope to avoid a similar fate to Stanislas Wawrinka when she begins her French Open campaign on Tuesday against home player Kristina Mladenovic but the media spotlight will fall on Caroline Wozniacki.
China's Li Na advanced to her second successive Australian Open final with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard on Thursday.
China's Li Na proved too strong for former world number one Maria Sharapova at Edgbaston for the second year in succession on Sunday when she claimed the grasscourt title with a 7-5, 6-1 victory.
Serena Williams summoned all her fighting qualities to beat Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 at the Australian Open on Wednesday after sister Venus's exit. Li Na earlier stunned Venus to become just the second Chinese to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam.
World No 2 Li Na of China has been ruled out of this year's US Open with a knee injury.
Li Na, who won her second Grand Slam title and first Australian Open title said that she was ready to work hard to become World No 1.
Chinese tennis ace Li Na reportedly had her fans roaring with laughter with her wisecracks during her speech following her Australian Open victory on Saturday at Melbourne Park.
Images from Day 2 of the Wimbledon tennis championship in London, on Tuesday.
Petra Kvitova overcame a mid-match slump to claim her first title of the season with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory over China's Li Na in the Montreal Cup on Monday.
French Open champion Li Na retired injured from her first-round match against Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova at the Paris Open on Tuesday.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic and China's Li Na entertained 12,000 fans at Beijing's Olympic Park with banter and fun shot making, in a battle-of-the-sexes charity match on Friday night in Beijing.
Venus Williams was bundled out of the Australian Open on Wednesday, beaten 2-6, 7-6, 7-5 by Li Na, who joins fellow-Chinese Zheng Jie in the semi-finals.
The distractions of being French Open champion led to six wasted months, said 2011 winner Li Na, who has finally found her form again in time to defend her title next week.
China's first Grand Slam champion Li Na returned home after her shock second-round exit from the Wimbledon and said she would take a six-week break from tennis.
Maria Sharapova fought back from a set down to oust China's Li Na 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 on Friday and claim a place in the last four of the Madrid Open.
Lion-hearted Li Na broke new ground for China at the Australian Open on Thursday, fighting back to topple World No1 Caroline Wozniacki and become her country's first singles Grand Slam finalist.
China's Li Na won her rematch with Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Thursday.
Li Na is destined for more grand slams and a place in the Hall of Fame after the Australian Open win cemented her position as the most influential female player of the last decade, said former great Chris Evert.
Images from Tuesday's action at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
In the women's Italian Open at the same atmospheric Foro Italico venue home fans were given something to shout about when Sara Errani reached the semi-finals with a superb 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory Li Na while Rafael Nadal overcame a first-set thrashing by Andy Murray to reach the semi-finals.
Madison Keys is the second-oldest woman to claim her first Australian Open singles title in the Open era.
China's top two Li Na and Zheng Jie will miss next month's Fed Cup tie against holders Italy to help other players qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, according to a senior China Tennis Association (CTA) official.
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