NEW YORK, April 12 -- Han Xu, a 19-year-old promising center of the Chinese national team, has fulfilled her dream of playing in the WNBA, the world's highest-level women's professional basketball arena.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua after being selected by the New York Liberty in the WNBA Draft 2019 on Wednesday night, Han, 2.07-meter tall, said, "I had a dream of playing on better-to-best platforms when I started basketball training 10 years ago."

"I began to pay close attention to the WNBA when I was in high school, but I buried the dream in the bottom of my heart as the future was uncertain at that time," she said. "After I had the experiences in the Chinese junior and senior national teams, I felt the chance approaching."

As a newcomer, Han devoted the team-high of 20 points in the China-U.S. encounter in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Spain. Her superb pace and shot as well as the match-reading ability stunned the Americans.

Although China lost the game 100-88, the 12-point margin was the smallest between the two in more than 30 years. China followed the U.S. into the knockout stage and finished 6th in the 16-team tournament.

Recalling that game, Han said, "That was a game I played under least pressure. Facing such strong opponents, I had nothing to fear and totally concentrated on the game. My teammates also played well, such as Sun Mengran who collected 16 points."

As to her past, Han said, "My parents were basketball players. I have been taller than others since I was young. I thought I must have something to do with basketball this life."

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