It was a huge Lunar New Year gift for Chinese sports fans.

A couple of hours after Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian's second NBA China derby, the country's women's tennis team withstood a fierce challenge from France to enter the semifinals of the Federation Cup for the first time.

China wasted a two-match lead set by Li Na and Peng Shuai on Saturday, but two-time Grand Slam champion Zheng Jie, who teamed up with Yan Zi, came up strong to win 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the decisive doubles rubber, writing China into Fed Cup history at the Beijing International Tennis Center.

Chinese tennis doubles player Zheng Jie reacts after winning a match point with partner Yan Zi against French tennis players Nathalie Dechy and Virginie Razzano during their Fed Cup match in Beijing yesterday. Zheng and Yan won 7-5, 7-6 (5). [Agencies]

The success, coming a week after Sun Tiantian's mixed-doubles title at the Australian Open, again proved China's power as a team, making it one of the most dangerous sides at the Beijing Olympics.

"I think the Fed Cup tie this weekend provides our players with a great experience ahead of the Olympics," said team manager Jiang Hongwei. "Looking at the competitions you'll find there is no easy match when you compete in a team competition, you cannot just rely on your world rankings because your opponents also play with heart.

"Everybody thinks today we would have an easy win, but the French girls played some tough tennis and pushed us to the limit. I am very happy my players fought until the last second. I also believe Zheng and Yan are our most reliable pair for the upcoming Games."

Cheered on by 3,000 home fans, China jumped to a flying start on the first day of the tournament as top singles player Li eased past 17-year-old Alize Cornet 6-3, 6-1 and Peng Shuai rallied to beat Virginie Razzano 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Yesterday the onus was on Razzano to keep France's hopes alive, and she obliged by battling back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 against Li.

"She is a great player and it was a very good match," Razzano said after the two-hour marathon. "But the difference today was aggression on the key points."

Li faulted her own lack of concentration and said she felt guilty for failing to neatly wrap up the tie for China.

"I was focused in the first set but from then on I was losing it mentally. In the third I came back but she played just great," said Li, China's top hope for an Olympic tennis medal in August.

Li is on her comeback trail after a 2007 season in which she missed seven months due to injury and saw her world ranking plummet from 16th - the best ever by a Chinese player - to 31st.

"I have six months to prepare for the Olympics so I am not worried about today," she said.

In the absence of Peng, doubles specialist Yan stepped in for China in the second singles match Sunday while France brought in Dechy in place of Cornet. Dechy proved too strong for Yan, beating her 6-3, 6-2.

But it was Zheng and Yan, playing her second match just 15 minutes after the singles' rubber, who stepped up the pressure to push the home team to a hard-fought victory.

"I just tried to focus on the game," Yan said. "Today was a tough day for me because I don't always play two matches the day before and these two were so close.

"But I know fans expect a lot from us and I am very motivated when I realize we can make history if we win it. Then we do win it and it's an amazing win for me."

Razzano said she was satisfied with the team's performance despite the loss.

"It was a very good match altogether. It was very difficult to lose the first set. But in my head it was never finished. I know I'm fit enough to play three sets," she said.