Li Na becomes first Chinese to reach WTA Championships

 　　BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tennis star Li Na on Thursday became the fifth singles player to qualify for the prestigious¹ TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships which would be held in Istanbul, Turkey on October 25-30, 2011, becoming the first Chinese singles player to book a spot on the WTA season-ending tournament.

　　"This year has been the most successful of my career so far and I'm very happy to have qualified²," said Li Na. "I'm proud to be the first Chinese woman to qualify in singles for this event."

　　Li Na enjoyed a historic season in 2011, twice making into the Grand Slam finals and taking the title of Roland Garros. She turned out to be the first Asian singles player to become a Grand Slam champion.

　　Li equaled the Asian-best world number four ranking during the season. Her success aroused the tennis fever both at home and abroad. According to the stats of CCTV (China Central Television), her French Open final against Francesca Schiavone attracted more than 100 million audience to watch through TV.

　　"I congratulate Li Na on qualifying for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, marking a perfect end to her truly historic season," said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.

　　Li started to meet troubles after her great victory in June. She was knocked out in the second round at Wimbledon, and was eliminated in the opening round at US Open.

　　She also swallowed a first-round defeat at the ongoing³ China Open in Beijing, disappointing thousands of local spectators.

　　"I was tired, both physically⁴ and mentally. If I am qualified to Istanbul, I will play, or this match would become my last match in the season," said Li after losing the China Open match.

　　There are currently three places still open for five singles players, including Vera Zvonareva, Samantha Stosur, Marion Bartoli, Andrea Petkovic and Agnieszka Radwanska.

　　Istanbul is to be the host city of the WTA year-end finale through 2013. The event would attract the top eight singles players and the top four doubles players to compete for a total of 5 million dollar prize.

1 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

2 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。