Li Na made short work of Ekaterina Makarova in the first round of the Sydney International but she will have to increase the power and penetration of her serve if she is to be a contender at the Australian Open.The Chinese star carried her strong Hopman Cup form into her opening match in Sydney, dispatching Russian Makarova 6-0, 6-3 in another mostly confident stride toward the year's first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park starting next week.
Li's groundstrokes were grooved but her serve was inaccurate and occasionally ineffective in the second set.
"I should improve a lot for my serve, otherwise it is not going to be easy to win my service games," the world No5 said.
"I'm happy with how I was moving on the court, to see how I hit the shot, but I need to keep working on my serve."
Li won the Sydney title last year before reaching the final of the Australian Open, where she lost to Kim Clijsters - which she said helped her win the French Open as it gave her experience on the big occasion. "Last year is over, so I don't have to think about what I do last year. Everyone has to look forward," she said, refusing to discuss her form.
Nine of the top 10 women are in Sydney, but Li was not interested in scouting their form. "I am just focused on what I'm doing," she said.
REUTERS
