PARIS (AP) — Australian Open finalist Li Na advanced to the second round of the French Open by beating Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 Tuesday.
The sixth-seeded Li, who became the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final, made the semifinals at the clay-court warm-up tournaments in Madrid and Rome.
Li trailed 3-1 in the first set, then won 10 of the next 12 games to lead 5-2 in the second before her Czech opponent forced the tiebreaker. She led 4-0 in the third set.
Li has advanced to at least the quarterfinals at the other three Grand Slam tournaments, but her best result at Roland Garros is reaching the fourth round.