PARIS — Li Na is back in a Grand Slam final, reaching her second straight major championship match by defeating Maria Sharapova 6-4, 7-5 yesterday in the French Open semifinals.

The Australian Open runner-up, who became the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final, was able to chase down nearly everything Sharapova had to offer.

“I’m sure they showed the match . . . in China, so . . . maybe children, they saw the match, and they think that maybe one day, they can do the same — or even better,” said Li.

In tomorrow’s final, Li will face defending champion Francesca Schiavone. The fifth-seeded Schiavone, who last year became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title, defeated No. 11 Marion Bartoli of France 6-3, 6-3.

The finalists are a combined 60 years, 79 days in age, making it the oldest women’s Grand Slam final since Wimbledon in 1998, when Jana Novotna beat Nathalie Tauziat.

“The years can help a lot,” the 30-year-old Schiavone said. “Like I said some days ago, [it] is like the wine. Stay[ing] in the bottle more is much, much better.”

The wind was a factor yet again at Roland Garros, and Sharapova’s serve suffered because of it. The seventh-seeded Russian had 10 double-faults in the match, including on match point.

“She has a huge and big serve, so I was like: ‘Please, double-fault. That way I can win the match,’ ” Li said. “I never believe myself I can be in final in French Open. I wish I can do even better on Saturday.”

Li finished with 24 winners, twice as many as Sharapova.