Having missed six months from the Tour, it didn't take the China's best ranked Li Na long to return to the top of her game.

 

The Chinese No.1 won her comeback event at the Australian women's hardcourt tennis championships after another gritty win over Belarus' Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final on Saturday.

 

En route to the championship match, Li upset Czech top seed Nicole Vaidisova in the quarterfinals and fourth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in the semifinals, showing China's most talented player is ready to make a bigger splash in the year of 2008.

It was Li's first WTA title in three years and the second in her career with the inaugural glory coming from the Guangzhou Open on home soil in 2004.

 

The 25-year-old also took home US$28,000.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2008)