GOLD COAST, Australia - China's top female tennis player Li Na made a strong comeback from injury, winning her first match of the 2008 season by upsetting seventh seed Sybille Bammer of Austria yesterday before reaching the second round of the Australian Hardcourt Championships.
Li Na of China returns a shot during her match against Sybille Bammer of Australia at the Australian Women's Hardcourt Championships on the Gold Coast, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008. Li won the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. [Agencies]Li has not played a singles match since last May due to a rib injury. But the world No 29 showed no sign of fatigue yesterday, coming back from 4-1 down in the deciding set to wrap up the game 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Li now moves into the second round where she will play Australia's Monique Adamczak, who defeated Russia's Elena Vesnina 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-5.
In other matches, top seed Nicole Vaidisova survived a scare from home wild card Casey Dellacqua.
The 18-year-old Czech world No 12 dropped the first set to the Australian left-hander, but came through to win 5-7, 7-5, 6-0.
Vaidisova, who has not won a title since May 2006, looked on her way out when she faced three break points at 4-4 in the second set.
However, she saved them and then ripped through the deciding set to set up a clash with Tatjana Malek of Germany in the second round.
"It's a relief to go through, plus she played some good tennis," Vaidisova told reporters. "It was tough."