Li Na's 2013 hopes high

Li Na won 2011 Roland Garros after nearly winning the Aus Open a few months earlier, falling to Kim Clijsters in the final.  Last year she lost again to Clijsters but in the fourth round.  She is glad that the Belgian has retired and poses no impediment to another assault on the Melbourne Park riches.  For Li is not without a chance, given her win in China a few weeks ago, and solid showing in Sydney last start.
Today's opposition was not rated as difficult to negotiate but then Olga Govortsova is blonde and from Belarus, just as is the number one ranked player and reigning Aus Open champion.  Of course that is just ridiculous - she doesn't scream like Vika therefore doesn't pose the same threat.  Li Na takes no opponent lightly, being the ultimate professional so we expected her complete game on show.
From the outset indeed Li Na produced her "A" game using most of the court and running Govortsova around mostly for little result from the Belarusian perspective.
Mentally the Chinese player had switched on the GO button and racked up three games before Olga had finished her warm up.  The passing shots were smooth and well chosen, the volleys picked off to save time and energy, and even when in a tight spot on serve, the shot selection to escape the problem was smart.  3-0 with a single break and the 6th seed nicely set.
Olga joined Li to battle the match in the fourth game and the contest had some moments, but Li Na still had the greater capacity to thrill.  Only some surprising errors off the Li racquet prevented that capacity from being fulfilled to the extent she demands of herself.
Olga struggled to hold and trail 2-4 then took Li to deuce before surrendering, still a single break down.
At 2-5 any weapons that Govortsova had at her disposal backfired in her service game, and mostly her mistakes allowed Li to cash in on another break opportunity to win Set 1 6-2.
Li Na, relaxed in the knowledge that she had half the match in the bag, maybe relaxed a little too much. Her service game was terrible leaving errant shots littered all over the court.  Olga volunteered only too happily to sweep them up and empty them in the dumpster, earning for herself in the process the reward of a game for contribution to environmental care.  Not much care was being devoted to holding serve as exemplified in that and both of the following two games where it appeared a burden not an advantage to be hitting first.
Olga discovered the solution - start screaming like Vika.  She did something well because at 2-1 her ground strokes hit the mark sufficiently for her to extend the lead to 3-1 over a much less impressive Li Na.  However beware the sleeping giant.

At 2-4 Li Na faced 15-40 but in what could be the most vital few minutes of the match she saved the break points and then held serve.  Instead of serving for the set Olga was now serving for 5-3 while Li Na could see 4-4 if things went her way.

0-30 and that direction looked a chance before grit and quality from Olga guided her through the dangerous waters.

Li Na demonstrated a champion's stuff when yet again at 15-40 and staring set points in the eye, she lifted a couple of gears to charge Govortsova with the job of serving out for a set apiece.
The standard of tennis had lifted across the board notably in the past 10-15 minutes.
The mission was too much too accomplish for Olga who had a meltdown in the tenth game doing everything at odds to that which she had done in the set so far.  It was a game she lost more than one that Li deserved to win.  Win she did though and 5-5 the position.

Quickly it was 5-6 with Govortsova now serving for survival.
Just as fleetingly the match had ended, an unfortunate final chapter to a fine match, but Li Na had been the better player for most of it, finishing full of running.  6-2 7-5