Na Li Wins Her Second Slam and Surges back to Ozeki

It was third time, but Na Li did not leave it to luck. In a commanding performance, Li won the ladies' 2014 Australian Open final against Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets, winning the championship in her third final [in 2011 Li lost the final to former Yokozuna (=grand champion) Kim Clijsters, in 2013 to Ozeki (=Champion) Viktoria Azarenka].

This is Li's second grand slam title, following her surprise win at the 2011 French Open. Li had some tight moments in her third-round match against Lucie Safarova, but then never looked back, not dropping another set on the way to the title.

At the age of almost 32, Li moves up to Ozeki for the second time in her career. This is good news for the game. The entertaining Chinese with the athletic game and the fine sense of humor has star power, and is one of a bunch of strong and attractive players lining up behind still dominant Dai-Yokozuna Serena Williams (although Serena went out in the third round this time, hampered by a back injury).

With players like Li, Azarenka, Sharapova or Radwanska, ladies' tennis has become interesting again [I also count ex-Ozeki and grand slam champions Samantha Stosur and Petra Kvitova to this group, although they seem out of form]. Gone are the days where consistent but limited players like Caroline Wozniacki or Jelena Jankovic could get the a #1 WTA ranking without doing much at the slams (as a result, both are no more than career-high Sekiwake).

Li joins Victoria Azarenka at Ozeki, who this time exited in the quarterfinals. Surprise finalist Cibulkova (pictured on the right) - who held Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) rank already once in 2009 - earns a first-time promotion to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I). She will share the rank with semi-finalist Agnieszka Radwanska and quarter-finalist Flavia Pennetta. For Pennetta, this is also a first-time promotion to the third highest sanyaku rank, earned by strong slams back-to-back at the US Open - where she reached the semi-final - and now down under.

The Komusubi rank will be filled with ex-Ozeki Maria Sharapova - who forwent her chance of a quick return to Ozeki by losing to Cibulkova in round 4 (she would have needed a semi-final) - and teenager Eugenie Bouchard. Bouchard made a courageous run to the semifinals before losing to Li. Few would be surprised to see her at higher ranks in the years ahead.

The ladies' sanyaku ranks going into the 2014 French Open look therefore as follows:

Women

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Dai-Y	Serena Williams	Y	-	-
O	Viktoria Azarenka	O	Na Li	O
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
S	Agnieszka Radwanska	S1	Flavia Pennetta	S
S	Dominika Cibulkova	S2	-	-
O	Maria Sharapova	K	Eugenie Bouchard	K

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
Venus Williams is an 'inactive' Yokozuna