Over 100 million Chinese watched the live TV coverage of the French Open final on June 4, cheering the 29-year old on as she outplayed defending champion Francesca Schiavone. It was reportedly the biggest TV audience for a single sports event in (China)
More than 2.2 million internet users have registered as Li's fans on Sina Weibo, China's leading microblog site. "Li Na is genuine," wrote one fan. "She (does) not resort to sweet talk nor empty talk."
Her straight sets victory in Paris also set off a wave of (exuberant) patriotism in the press at home. "The French Open's red clay court," gushed the official People's Daily, "has become 'China Red,' the symbol of China's victory and the Chinese miracle."
