As it happened: Li Na lifts first Australian Open title

CLICK HERE for live updates if you are accessing this page on your phone. Preview: When Li Na thinks back to her first Australian Open final, she doesn’t recall feeling nervous. Just very excited. The 31-year-old Chinese star makes her third attempt at winning the championship in Melbourne on Saturday, and this time she’s nervous. [caption id=“attachment_1359113” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] After two weeks of stunning upsets cleared away Li’s top competition, she will face No. 20-seeded Dominika Cibulkova. AP[/caption] Experience has taught her how to play on tennis’ biggest stages, Li said on the eve of the final. “Come to the court. Just play. Don’t think too much,” said Li, who this time — for the first time — is considered the favorite to win the Australian Open. After two weeks of stunning upsets cleared away Li’s top competition, she will face No. 20-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, an unheralded but explosive player who has steamrolled through the tournament with the carefree spirit of a player with nothing to lose. The 24-year-old Slovakian beat four higher-ranked players including No. 3 Maria Sharapova in the fourth-round and No. 5 Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals. (AP)