China's tennis megastar Li Na carried the weight of a continent as the 6th seed took on defending champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy in the French Open singles final. She beat Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 to win the first Grand Slam title for China and Asia.
Li Na got off to a solid start, holding her serve, making it 2-all early in the opening set.
The Chinese later broke the Italian in the fifth game, jumping to a 3-2 lead.
Both players then held their serves, as Li took a 5-4 lead.
Schiavone was broken in the 10th game, as the Chinese star pulled away to close out the opening set 6-4.
Li carried her momentum in the second set, where she broke Schiavone in the opening game and went on to take a 2-0 cushion.
Li, who displayed a strong passion for victory, raced to a 3-1 lead.