Chinese tennis fans' dreams of an all-China women's singles final at the Australian Open were dashed Thursday, when both Li Na and Zheng Jie were defeated by in the semifinals by powerful opponents. Li lost to the number-one ranked Serena Williams in an intense match (7-6, 7-6), while Zheng was later clobbered by seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin (6-1, 6-0).
　　中国球迷本想在澳大利亚网球公开赛(Australian Open)女子单打决赛中看到中国选手对决的场面，但周四，这个梦想破灭了。李娜和郑洁在半决赛中遇到强大的对手，双双落败。经过激烈的争夺，李娜败给世界排名第一的小威廉姆斯(Serena Williams)，比分为7比6、7比6。之后郑洁惨败给七次大满贯冠军获得者海宁(Justine Henin)，比分为6比1、6比0。
　　Nevertheless, China is still celebrating the historic achievement of having two Chinese players reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal-only two years after the first appearance by a Chinese singles player in any Grand Slam semifinal, when Zheng reached the milestone in Wimbledon 2008.
　　李娜在输掉比赛后离开赛场不过让中国人欢呼雀跃的是，这是历史上第一次有两位中国选手挺进大满贯半决赛。这离单个中国选手首次出现在大满贯半决赛赛场（郑洁，2008年温布尔登网球公开赛）仅隔了两年。
　　It was always a long shot for either Li or Zheng to advance to the finals in Melbourne, but enthusiasm for women's tennis is running high in China nonetheless. State media and Web users are celebrating the two women, who are affectionately dubbed 'golden flowers,' with fans leaving thousands of messages of support on Internet forums, and Web portal Sina.com's sports page featuring numerous photos of Li and Zheng together in Melbourne, triumphantly holding a Chinese flag aloft.
　　李娜或郑洁要在墨尔本挺进决赛，希望一直都很渺茫。但中国对女子网球的热情十分高涨。官方媒体和网民都在为这两位女性而欢呼，热情地称她们为“金花”。在网络论坛上，球迷们留下了数千条表示支持的评论，门户网站新浪网的体育频道上，发表了多张李娜和郑洁在墨尔本一起举着中国国旗欢庆胜利的图片。
　　The performance of the golden-flower duo could give the sport another boost in China, where the WTA has made a major push to promote tennis in recent years. By reaching the semis in Australia, Li becomes the first Chinese player to crack the top ten of the WTA's singles rankings, while Zheng will be back in the top 20.
　　近几年，女子职业网球协会(WTA)为推广中国的网球赛做了大量工作，而两朵金花的表现可能会进一步振兴中国的网球运动。进入澳网半决赛后，李娜成了首位挺进WTA单打排名前10的中国选手，郑洁则将回到前20。
　　Another possible impact to watch for is whether their recent successes will encourage more Chinese players to leave the state tennis system. As the China Sports Today blog points out, both Li and Zheng left the China Tennis Association following the Beijing Olympics in 2008, giving them more freedom to control their training and to keep a greater share of prize money. Their move back into the top ranks of the sport presents a compelling argument for other players to strike out on their own.
　　另外一个值得关注的影响是，两人最近的成功是否会鼓励更多的中国选手离开国家网球体制。正如“China Sports Today”(今日中国体育)博客指出，2008年北京奥运会过后，李娜和郑洁都离开了中国网球协会，从而有了更多的自由来掌控自己的训练，并分得更大份额的奖金。她们重返10强、20强，成了让其他人独立拼搏的一个很有说服力的理由。
　　Even the state-run media and tennis officials appear to concede the point. 'The outstanding success of two Chinese players in the last four at a Grand Slam for the first time can be partly attributed to the freedom granted by China's General Administration of Sport, allowing them to manage their own careers from the end of 2008,' says an article in the Global Times.
　　连官方媒体和网球官员似乎也都承认这一点。《环球时报》英文版一篇文章说，两位中国选手首次挺进大满贯赛事四强的杰出成功，可部分归因于中国国家体育总局(General Administration of Sport)许给的自由，使她们能够从2008年年底开始管理自己的职业生涯。
　　Gao Shenyang, deputy director of the CTA, told Reuters that the two women set a good example for younger athletes. 'These two players laid the groundwork last year and one year on, they have got a firm foothold…They are mature enough to manage themselves and have also proved that they now have a better understanding of tennis.'
　　中国国家体育总局网球运动管理中心副主任高沈阳对路透社(Reuters)表示，两位女选手为年轻运动员树立了好榜样。他说，两位选手在去年打下了基础，一年后，她们站稳了脚跟，她们已经成熟，可以管理自己，同时也已经证明她们现在对网球有一种更好的理解。