Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) Chan Yung-jan became the first Taiwanese player to make the mixed doubles finals in a Grand Slam tennis event Friday after teaming up with Australian Paul Hanley for a come-from-behind 2-1 semifinal victory in the 2010 Australian Tennis Open tournament.
The Chan-Hanley duo beat Bathanie Mattek-Sands of the United States and Horia Tecau of Romania 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 in 72 minutes.
Chan's record-setting win came after her 2-1 victory over compatriot Chuang Chia-jung and Dick Norman of Belgium a day earlier had equalled the best mixed doubles record established by Hsieh Shu-wei, who teamed with Zimbabwe's Kevin Ullyett to make the 2009 U.S. Open semifinal.
Plagued by eight unforced errors, Chan and Hanley gave up the first set in 28 minutes before regaining their rhythm and taking the second set 6-3. They had five winners, including two timely aces, in a hard-fought third set.
The 21-year-old Chan, ranked No. 119 in women's singles and No. 18 in women's doubles in the world, and Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, lost in the women's doubles third round to Russian duo Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko. Chan did not make the women's singles main draw this year, losing in the third round of the qualifying singles.
Chan and Hanley's opponents in the finals will be the second-seeded duo Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia and Daniel Nestor of Canada, who defeated third-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia 6-4, 7-5 in the other semifinal match. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J