Reluctant Li China's new champion

History making Li Na has become an overnight superstar in China after her upset win over Caroline Wozniacki made her the first Asian player to reach a Grand Slam singles final.

Much is being made of Li's success this year, beating Clijsters in the final of the Sydney International earlier this month, but she is reluctant to accept that her achievements will change the fortune of Chinese tennis.

"[Reaching the final] is good for my tennis career, of course. Good for me; good for my team. Maybe good for China tennis. I'm not sure. Maybe."

Sun Jinfang, the head of the Chinese Tennis Association, said Li's achievements had propelled her into the ranks of the country's sporting superstars.

"There is always a pioneer pushing things forward in his or her time and Li is a sporting pioneer of her time," Sun told the China Daily.

"I think she has an international standing similar to Yao Ming or Liu Xiang. She has been undervalued a little bit due to the relatively low profile of tennis in China."

Li confirmed she had spoken with Sun about her groundbreaking achievement, but was somewhat baffled by the comparison to basketballer Yao Ming.

"Yeah, yesterday I got a text message from the Federation boss. She say, Oh, well done. You come back, I pay the dinner.I say, What, only the dinner?"

Despite the intense media interest in China, Li remains oblivious to her newfound superstardom saying she does not read any of the press before her matches.

"Of course, not all the people say you are good or something. If you got a bad message, you make yourself angry or sad."

At 28 years old Li, the oldest finalist at the Australian Open since Chris Evert in 1988, returned from a two year break in 2004 and has played in 19 majors. She is looking to extend a personal best 11 match winning streak.

Currently ranked 11th, Li is projected to attain a career best ranking of 7th when the latest WTA rankings are published on Monday.

A jovial Li charmed spectators after her upset win over world number one Caroline Wozniacki, revealing her husband's snoring had ruined her pre-match preparation.

When asked what got her through the match on so little sleep after being forced to retrieve the game from Wozniacki's match point in the second set she replied with refreshing candour.

"Uhhh... prizemoney?" she laughed.