The 25-year-old Djokovic, who was also beaten by Murray in the semifinals of the Olympic tennis tournament, came into the final in hot form after claiming the China Open in Beijing.

CNN: Djokovic beats Murray in classic Shanghai final

Li, who turns 31 next month and will rise one place to No. 5 in the Women's Tennis Association rankings on Monday, joked that she felt like she was at the China Open, because of the number of Chinese flags and cheers, both in Mandarin and English at the arena.

WSJ: Azarenka Beats Li to Win Australian Open

Ms. Li, who turns 31 next month and will rise one place to No. 5 in the Women's Tennis Association rankings on Monday, joked that she felt like she was at the China Open, because of the number of Chinese flags and cheers, both in Mandarin and English at the arena.

WSJ: Azarenka Beats Li to Win Australian Open