French Open 2011 at Roland Garros: Li Na Makes History, Becomes First Asian to Win Grand Slam Singles Title

Li Na made sports history Saturday in Paris, beating Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6(0) in the French Open final to become the first Asian player, male or female, to win a grand slam singles title.

Though the stakes were high and the play generally sharp, the first two thirds of this final were actually fairly dull.  Li's consistent power and depth didn't allow for Schiavone to pass and charge with her normal flair, and with Li up a set and 4-2, it looked like this one could be over before it started.

But, thankfully for those of us who had woken up at ungodly hours to watch this match, something changed.  It wasn't clear if it was nerves from Li or Schiavone suddenly remembering that she hadn't lost at this tournament in thirteen matches, but late in the second set things got good.  Schiavone got the bounce in her step and the grunt in her throat that had been missing, and Li seemed to have misplaced her previous swagger.  Schiavone broke back, and seemed well on her way to forcing a third set.

But with Li serving at 5-6, 40-40, two points from dropping the second set, a crucial (and incorrect) overrule and mark check by chair umpire Louise Engvall, umpiring her first grand slam final, sent Schiavone into a tailspin.  Instead of it being a set point for Schiavone, it was a game point for Li, and one which Li won.  Then, for good measure, Li won the next seven points and the title as well.

Though women's tennis does seem to be in something of an interregnum right now, talk of the field being "wide open" at this year's French Open should not diminish what Li accomplished whatsoever. 

After Clijsters (and Wozniacki, to a lesser extent) crashed out in the first week, Petra Kvitova, who had won a huge title in Madrid a few weeks before was considered by many to be the favorite. 

But Li dispatched Kvitova in three sets in the fourth round. 

With Kvitova out, Victoria Azarenka, the fourth seed who had only been beaten in a complete match once in 2011, was considered the favorite. 

But Li dispatched Azarenka in straight sets in the quarterfinal. 

With Azarenka out, Maria Sharapova, a three-time slam champion on the verge of completing a career slam, became the player to beat. 

But Li dispatched Sharapova in straight sets in the semifinals. 

With Sharapova out, only defending champion Francesca Schiavone stood between Li and the title. 

You know what happened next.

So what does it all mean? It's safe to say that Li's win and growing  will brighten the future of Asian (specifically Chinese) tennis significantly, as has been said many times today.  But with no real strong presence in the junior ranks right now, the evidence could arrive as slowly as a decade from now.  Just because the aftershocks of this monumental event aren't readily apparent, however, doesn't mean that they won't be seismic.