When Zheng Jie and Li Na joined other members of China's national tennis team for a training programme at the Shanghai Racquet Club less than four years ago, organisers struggled to attract spectators. Even the presence of Athens doubles gold medallists Sun Tiantian and Li Ting created only moderate interest among members.
But now, Zheng and Li are household names and national symbols of inspiration in the wake their semi-final appearances at last week's Australian Open.
From Shanghai to Shenzhen and from Hong Kong to Harbin, tennis is enjoying a surge in popularity as administrators and coaches scramble to keep up, with extra players signing up for tournaments and tuition in the days after the year's first grand slam.
'The impact is already being felt with more kids coming for training and more professional players inquiring as well,' said Choi Hee-june, director of Mission Hills Tennis Academy, near Shenzhen. 'For almost two weeks, Li and Zheng's performances were on the news constantly and that's attracted many more starters.'
The end of the Australian Open coincided with the deadline for entries for the Hong Kong National Junior Championships, which were one-fifth higher than 2009.
'When players from China or of Chinese descent achieve honours in tennis, we see a big increase in interest in training programmes and tournament participation,' said Janet Hardisty, general manager of the Hong Kong Tennis Association (HKTA).