2012 SUMMARY
Titles Won (1): Cincinnati
Grand Slam Highlights: Australian Open, Roland Garros (Fourth Round)
Win/Loss Record: 41-15
Record Against Top 10: 6-7
WTA Championships History: Round Robin (2011)
Li Na was the eighth and final player to book a spot in Istanbul and will be looking to add a final flourish to a year that has been nothing if not eventful.
For Li, the season begun with a bang, reaching the final in Sydney where she lost a see-saw encounter with Victoria Azarenka. She carried this form over to Melbourne, cruising through the opening rounds of the Australian Open to set up a rematch of last year's final against Kim Clijsters in the last 16.
Here Li played her part in the first of what would transpire to be a long list of contenders for match of the season; Clijsters saved four match points before eventually prevailing in three thrilling sets.
The Chinese No.1 recovered well from the setback, reaching consecutive quarterfinals at the Premier-level events in Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart and Madrid. Now back on the clay, Li was beginning to resemble the player that captured last year's Roland Garros title, storming to her second final of the season in Rome.
In a rain-affected final, Li appeared all set for a comfortable victory when she raced into a 64 40 lead against Maria Sharapova. However, Sharapova weathered the metaphorical and literal storm - a rain delay forced them off court for two hours - at a sodden Foro Italico, fending off a match point before triumphing in a final set tie-break.
Further disappointment was to follow at Roland Garros - her defense coming to a surprise end at the hands of World No.142 Yaroslava Shvedova in the fourth round - Wimbledon and the Olympics, before a coaching change helped get things back on track on the hardcourts of North America.
Coinciding with the appointment of Justine Henin's former mentor Carlos Rodriguez, Li started to play her best tennis of the year on the cement, finishing runner-up in Montréal before storming back from a nightmare start to defeat Angelique Kerber in a rollercoaster Cincinnati final.
After these performances, Li arrived in New York for the US Open among the favorites, however, there was to be no glorious end to the Grand Slam calendar, coming off second best to Laura Robson in an absorbing third round thriller.
Not for the first time, responded to adversity well, delighting her legions of fans back in China by reaching the semifinals in Beijing to secure her place at the WTA Championships.
