TORONTO, Aug. 12 -- Li Na's success as China's first Grand Slam champion will inspire more young people to play tennis and bring more Chinese people to the sport of tennis, said chairman of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) here on Thursday.

Stacey Allaster, who has been WTA Chairman and CEO since July 2009, made the remarks on the sidelines of the 2011 Rogers Cup, a WTA tournament, when taking Xinhua's interview.

"You have your first Grand Slam champion, Li Na, who is dramatic ambassador for woman tennis and for China," Allaster told. "160 million Chinese people watch Li Na win at Roland Garros. That will inspire more young boys and young girls to play the sport."

"It's a terrific time and terrific opportunity," she added.

There is much excitement for this year's China Open in Beijing, with a new state-of-art court with 15,000 seats and a retractable roof. Beijing has invested more in tennis, after hosting a world class Olympics in 2008, noted Allaster.

The WTA opened up an office in Beijing in 2008 and this week made a commitment to holding the China Open event in Beijing for the next six years. Over the past year, the WTA has held three different tennis festivals to bring more children to tennis.

Allaster singled out the phenomenal success of NBA in China as a model that women's tennis should emulate.

"As I drive through Beijing, I'm quite taken by the presence of basketball. NBA has done a fantastic job building the grassroots, building the foundation for basketball in Beijing.

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