McNamara says 'fantastic kid' has potential to beat the best

When Li Na was in her prime, her coach, Carlos Rodriguez, was practically indispensable to the two-time Grand Slam champion.

The same can now be said of current Chinese No 1 Wang Qiang and her mentor Peter McNamara - and hopes are rising that they will script an equally inspiring story.

Wang is enjoying a resurgent second half to the season, claiming two WTA titles and an Asian Games gold medal - with an emphatic win over Venus Williams, to boot.

Wang has continued that fine form at the Wuhan Open, where victories over Maria Sakkari, eighth seed Karolina Pliskova, Daria Gavrilova and Puerto Rico's Monica Puig (a 6-3, 6-1 win on Thursday) have sent her to a Friday semifinal - the deepest run a Chinese player has ever managed at the tournament.

Australian McNamara, a three-time doubles Grand Slam champion, has been key to Wang's revival, and he's confident there's even more to come from his pupil.

"She's just a baby and still learning," McNamara told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

"She's 26 and has finally figured out a little bit how to play. I was 22 when I figured out how to play tennis. The potential is there. It's about whether she can believe in herself and continue to work in a right way.

"I think she can. She's a fantastic kid."

Wang's turnaround has been dramatic, with her French Open victory over seven-time Grand Slam winner Williams in June sparking her current hot streak.

She went on to win her first WTA title at July's Jiangxi Open, matched her Roland Garros campaign by reaching the third round of the US Open and last Saturday won the Guangzhou Open by thumping Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 6-2 in the final to rise to No 34 in the world rankings.

"I'm really happy to have such a great second half of the season," said Wang.

"I did not perform well in the first half. My coach even started to make plans for the next season. He's surprised by my recent play."