Although she eventually lost to world No. 1 Justine Henin 2-6, 2-6 in the quarters, Hsieh vanquished Klara Zakopalova, Sybile Bammer and Aravane Rezai to get there. "What Hsieh has done is not an overnight miracle, but proof that Taiwan's tennis is quickly catching up with the world standard," said C.Y. Yeh, president of the Chinese Taipei Tennis Association.
The CTTA, which represents Taiwan on the international sports stage, was established in 1967 and became a member of the International Tennis Federation--the world's governing body for tennis, with over 205 member national associations--in 1970.
"In addition to Hsieh's achievements in the women's singles, our women's doubles players are showing even more incredible talent for competing with leading athletes from around the world," Yeh said, referring to female tennis star duo Chuang Chia-jung and Chan Yung-jan. Before Hsieh's record success stole the spotlight, the pair reached the women's doubles finals of both the 2007 Australian and U.S. Opens, an unprecedented achievement in Taiwanese tennis history.
"I have great confidence that Chuang and Chan will bring home greater glories after gaining more experience in international events, such as the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in August," Yeh added.
Born in 1985 in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Chuang is a right-handed player with a powerful two-handed backhand. She turned professional in 2001, and attained her highest world rankings last year at No. 177 in singles play and No. 7 on the doubles courts. In her relatively short career, she has accumulated an admirable eight ITF singles titles, 26 ITF doubles titles, and seven Women's Tennis Association doubles titles.
Chuang's doubles partner, the right-handed Chan, was born in Taichung County, central Taiwan, in 1989. Under her father's watchful eye, she first picked up a tennis racquet at the age of 6, and he has coached her ever since. She started her professional career in 2004, winning nine ITF singles titles, one WTA and eight ITF doubles titles, and reaching her highest world rankings at No. 50 in singles and No. 8 in doubles.
"It touched many people at home to see these young and diligent Taiwanese players fighting for years and achieving such glory," said Yang Jong-her, minister of the Sports Affairs Council under the Executive Yuan.
In the past, Taiwan only had one female tennis player good enough to compete internationally--Wang Shi-ting, Yang said. Wang, who turned pro in 1985 and retired in 2000, won six singles titles on the WTA Tour, and achieved her highest world ranking at No. 26. "The story of how Wang's father trained her despite financial difficulties and made her one of the world's top players is a source of inspiration and national pride," Yang stressed.
Taiwan's athletes are also creating a positive image of Taiwan abroad, Yang continued. "Sport is a universal language. It speaks beyond any national boundary or ideological conflict. Once our athletes perform well enough globally, they and our nation will be respected by other countries," he added.
While Taiwan's female players have blazed a trail on the international circuit, their male counterparts are not to be scoffed at, noted Yang, referring to Lu Yen-hsun, Wang Yeu-tzuoo and Yang Tsung-hua. Taiwan's top male player, Lu was ranked No. 96 in the world and No. 2 in Asia last year, falling only behind Korea's Lee Hyung-taik. Born in 1983, Lu turned professional in 2001 and became the nation's first player to break into the Association of Tennis Professionals Top 100 after an impressive performance on the Challenger circuit.
Wang, who was born in 1985 and began his professional career in 2001, skyrocketed to No. 85 in the ATP rankings in 2005--the highest a player from Taiwan has ever reached. Yang finished second in this year's Australian Open Boys singles tournament, losing to Australian Bernard Tomic 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0.
Minister Yang explained that tennis is a sport that requires long-term training and guidance, and therefore needs comprehensive and well-planned state support. The government has mapped out a series of training programs focusing on first-rate and potential athletes, as well as a reward system for anyone who obtains international sporting honors.
"It's important to use national resources to nurture a country's sports activities," Yang said, "especially tennis, because it is one of the few sports where Taiwanese players have the opportunity to compete with other outstanding athletes from around the world."
Yeh added that tennis is a sport where physical differences between Asian and Western players do not matter. "Biologically speaking, our players are not inferior to anyone," Yeh asserted, adding that what Taiwanese athletes need most is experience competing with other world-class players.
Another way to improve tennis standards is to host international matches, Yeh noted. In February, Taiwan hosted the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania first-round tennis tie against an Australian team composed of former world champion Lleyton Hewitt, Chris Guccione, Alun Jones, and doubles players Paul Hanley and Joseph Sirianni.
The highly anticipated tournament--one of the premier international team events on the men's tennis calendar--took place at the Yangming Tennis Center Courts in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. Fending off the formidable challenge from the southern hemisphere were Taiwan's most eminent players, including Lu, Wang, Yang and Chen Ti. Chen painstakingly garnered the nation's sole win by beating Hanley 7-6 (3), 6-1.
"Although we lost in the end, our players showed their countrymen that they were capable of facing foreign players, and that gives hope for the game," Yeh remarked.
Despite losing to Australia, Taiwan's team is still confident and claimed a narrow victory at the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group One playoff encounter against upstart Kazakhstan held in Almaty between April 11 and 13. Chen again clinched a crucial point by outlasting Kazakh veteran Alexey Kedryuk 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), giving his team a 3-2 comeback win in the best-of-five tie, which avoids a relegation battle against the Philippines in September. With the arduous win, the nation's Davis Cup campaign for the year concludes, and it will start the competition as one of the eight teams in the same zone next year.
However, the lack of an internationally standardized court at home could hinder development of the sport, Yeh pointed out. "We've had sufficient experience in hosting large-scale tournaments. We've had excellent men and women players. But we don't have a well-provisioned court yet to arrange higher-ranked games," Yeh stated. Once this is made possible, he said, standards of tennis as a whole will surely reach even greater heights.
Write to Allen Hsu at allenhsu@mail.gio.gov.tw