China’s Xiaohui Li celebrated a maiden Grand Slam singles title on Saturday after defeating Diede de Groot in straight sets to claim the women’s wheelchair final.
Li made light work of her highly decorated Dutch opponent, who returned to Kia Arena after undergoing hip surgery last year, taking just 50 minutes to triumph 6-1- 6-2.
The 26-year-old spoke through a translator in her post-match press conference but a beaming smile when asked about her emotions did not require third-party interpretation.
“Right now, we’re pretty pleased,” said Li, who also defended her doubles title alongside Wang Ziying at Melbourne Park.
De Groot won four consecutive AO titles from 2021-24, but the Dutchwoman admitted she was no match for the No.3 seed, who finished runner-up to Yui Kamiji at the US Open final last year.
“Wow, first of all a big congratulations to Li — you really destroyed me today I had no chance,” de Groot said.
“You really played well, and I’m sure you’re going to be in many more finals, so let’s see if I can make a better one next time.”
Li put an end to de Groot’s winning streak in 2024, and said strategy had played a big part in her season-opening dominance, claiming the silverware on Saturday with a backhand winner.
“In general, both of our pace are at the same level,” Li said. “[I] tried to stay in the same pace. Whenever there's a chance giving her pressure, then I tried to take the point away.
“For the last season, the strategy wasn't really super clear, like, in general. Then this year we got more problem-solving everything, so the strategy is clearer than the last year. We’re improving more on the strategy part.”
De Groot took positives from her own performance throughout the tournament, which was a victory in itself considering her long stint on the sidelines.
“I have to see it as an achievement that I’m in the final today, back after one-and-half-years of absence. I’m really proud of that for myself and my team,” she said.
“[Coach] Dennis [Sporrel] and I have worked hard to prepare for this trip, and the outcome was better than we initially imagined.
“Playing on Kia Arena is such an amazing feeling. The way we started wheelchair tennis it’s only fair to say we’ve come a long way and are still growing.”